Since its enterprise agreement expired six months ago, the Rail Tram and Bus Union has been pushing for new, fair contract with the NSW Labor government and private operators. Pip Hinman reports.
Rail
Seven thousand public workers rallied outside the Western Australian Parliament House to demand a 5% pay rise. Alex Salmon reports.
The聽Rail, Tram and Bus Union described the NSW government鈥檚 unilateral shut-down of the Sydney train network on February 21 as 鈥渁 huge dummy spit鈥. Jim McIlroy reports.
The Combined Rail Unions and the Rail, Tram & Bus Union聽are continuing protected industrial action in New South Wales as negotiations for a new NSW Trains and Sydney Trains Enterprise Agreement聽break down.聽Jean Dor reports.
A on a train at Town Hall station caused an entire day of delays across Sydney鈥檚 rail network on August 23. Rather than being an exception, the incident was just the latest chaos to hit Sydney commuters.
More than 300 unionists and local residents protested outside the electorate office of Liberal MP for Drummoyne John Sidoti on August 4.
Chanting 鈥淛ohn Sidoti鈥檚 got to go!鈥 and waving placards opposing the NSW government鈥檚 planned privatisation of public buses in the Inner West, the protest elicited much support from passing motorists and pedestrians. There was no response, however, from Sidoti鈥檚 office.
Flags from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU), Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) and the Australian Services Union (ASU) were prominent.
Some 150 people gathered at Carriageworks in Redfern on July 17 to launch an exhibition marking the centenary of one of the largest industrial confrontations in Australia鈥檚 history.
1917: The Great Strike is a commemorative exhibition featuring archival images, moving footage, oral history excerpts and commissioned artworks depicting this landmark struggle. It is a joint effort by Carriageworks and the City of Sydney, in partnership with the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) and will run until August 27.
NSW Premier Mike Baird鈥檚 vision of 鈥淣SW Inc鈥 is under increasing fire as the year ends. Dubbed the 鈥淪miling Assassin鈥, 鈥淢ike the Vandal鈥, and 鈥淩obert Askin with a smiling face鈥, Baird鈥檚 approval ratings have plummeted as a number of his pet projects face rising opposition.
The former Liberal NSW Premier Askin was notoriously corrupt, renowned for his dodgy dealings with developers and his demand that his driver 鈥渞un over the bastards鈥 during an anti-Vietnam War protest in 1966 against visiting US President Lyndon Johnson.
The socialisation of essential services is fast becoming a formidable policy in the 鈥渃ontestable marketplace of ideas鈥. Nowhere is this more so than with railways and bus services; an everyday service all social demographics touch daily.
British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn believes nationalisation and socialisation will save millions of pounds a year, get community members back to work, augment sustainable transport and retool British industries.