‘How is this fair?': Transport for NSW staff question 950 job cut move during livestream

News.com.au

3 days ago

NSW government workers facing the possibility of being jobless just before Christmas have been left with more questions than answers following an all-staff livestream meeting.
Last week, Transport for NSW staff were informed via email that 950 Transport Senior Service Manager (TSSM) and Award positions would be cut, with the changes expected to be finalised by the end of 2025.
Only office staff are in the firing line for these job cuts, with frontline roles exempt from the restructure.
This is in addition to the previously announced reduction of 300 Senior Executive roles, more than 200 of which have already been delivered.
In the email, Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray said he knew the news would be 'significant and concerning' for many people.
The move is part of a bid to save $600 million in costs and 'get back to a model that is sustainable long term'.
On Friday, more than a week after the announcement, Mr Murray held an all-staff livestream in order to provide employees with more information and answer questions.
'I know there are a lot of very specific questions as well as some general understanding that we want to dig into and we are dedicated to answering your questions and to have that conversation,' he said.
Mr Murray said there was 'no glossing over' the fact that Transport for NSW is facing significant cost pressures, claiming the organisation has been 'living beyond our means' in recent years.
Over the last five years an extra 3000 workers had been hired during and after the Covid period.
Addressing the restructure, Mr Murray said a detailed branch design will commence this month, with the aim to have all Transport for NSW branches determined by the end of the year.
However, it seems some of the 3500 staff who joined the livestream weren't impressed with the secretary's almost 40-minute long speech.
One Transport for NSW employee, who wished to remain anonymous, told news.com.au that the explanations provided by Mr Murray made things 'as clear as mud'.
'(He) basically said a whole lot of nothing,' they said.
The employee revealed that just two minutes was left for questions at the end of the livestream.
They ended up choosing just one question to answer from the many that were posted in the online forum, claiming many of the others had already been addressed.
The question related to whether the 950 number would include 'current fixed term labour hire positions that might be coming to an end'.
In his response, Mr Murray said the 'buckets' for labour hire or consultancies have 'already been set targets'.
And, while they do intend to make further reductions in those areas, they have been 'open' about the fact that it will be TSSM and Award roles that will be impacted.
He added that, if during the process they discover areas where changes can be made that would make a real impact to the ongoing costs of the organisations, then 'of course' it would be prioritised over the impacts to TSSM and award roles.
News.com.au has been provided some of the questions posted by staff that were receiving the most 'likes' in Q&A forum during the stream.
One employee pointed out the job cuts relating to senior executive staff were announced 'well in advance' and have taken over a year to be implemented, with the process still ongoing.
'In contrast the job cuts affecting TSSM and award roles were announced abruptly over email with very short notice and are expected to be completed by the end of December 2025,' they wrote.
'Had we been given notice earlier we would have had sufficient time to explore better opportunities. How is this fair? Why weren't we informed sooner?'
The employee continued, stating staff had been asking for clarity for a long time but had been 'repeatedly told and reassured that there would be no impact on award or TSSM'.
'This sudden decision directly contradicts those assurances. It is deeply concerning and raises serious questions about transparency and communication and transport core values,' they wrote.
Another person questioned why the initial announcement on the job cuts was circulated via email and not livestream, noting a lot of staff found out through the media.
One employee questioned why Transport for NSW wasn't using working from home as a way to save costs without losing staff.
'WFH flexibility is a win-win for transport and its employees as it keeps the workforce happier which is more important than ever right now, but also reducing office cost. If 'all avenues are being explored', surely this is a priority,' they wrote.
Another staff member asked for clarification whether fixed term contract roles would be included in the 950 figure.
'We have been advised that fixed term employees are considered 'out of scope' but that contracts will not be extended beyond the end dates. This affects 1800 people,' they wrote, pointing out this suggests these job losses 'are in addition to the 950 roles flagged'.
At the end of the meeting, Mr Murray said all the questions would be addressed, with answers provided 'through the Q&A process'.
NSW Public Service Association (PSA) has slammed Transport for NSW over the latest job cuts announcement, claiming more cuts could instead be made to Senior Executive staff in order to spare other employees.
'While TfNSW and the NSW Government crow that they have cut 200 Senior Executives already, the fact is there are still substantially more senior executives employed in Transport than any other Department,' the union said in a statement on Friday.
'With over 1000 TSSE's they have nearly three times the amount of senior executives within Health, despite having a quarter of Health's workforce.
'The PSA continues to call on the NSW Government to stop their protection racket for senior executives, have a look at their numbers again, and if they need to make $279 million in internal labour savings, continue reducing the size of their Senior Executives to avoid job cuts for Award staff.'