Australia slashes public service jobs to cover train drivers' pay
Transport Secretary Josh Murray said the cuts were part of a wider move to 'restructure the chain of command' in an email to staff on Wednesday. Mr Murray said he understood the cuts would be 'concerning' to some.
'We have to get back to a model that is sustainable for the long term, delivers on our commitments, and provides appropriate career paths for our people,' he wrote. 'That also means reducing duplication, removing unclear reporting lines, and ensuring all our people are clear on what's expected of them. Change of this scale is never easy, and it affects all our people, their work, their teams, and their sense of certainty about the future.'
Opposition Transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward (pictured right) said the cuts were required due to cost blowout caused by the latest wage deal with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU). 'These are the brutal cuts that pay for the union wage deals. The people being sacked are not senior bureaucrats - they're the engine room of the department, and their mistake was not joining the RTBU,' she said in a statement. 'These decisions send a clear message: under Labor, it's union first, commuters second.'
Office staff will be affected in the latest round of cuts, with no frontline roles at risk. Unions were briefed about the cuts on Wednesday morning. Over the past five years, Transport for NSW has hired an additional 3,000 workers. The latest round of cuts comes after rail workers agreed to a new pay deal with the NSW government following months of industrial action.
The Electrical Trades and the Rail, Tram and Bus unions initially sought a 32 per cent pay rise over four years, and a 35-hour working week. Their negotiations with the NSW government stalled in January, sparking a mass strike which brought the Sydney rail network to its knees after 2,500 rail services were cancelled or significantly impacted over a two day-period. More than 90 per cent of RTBU members voted to accept a 12 per cent wage increase over three years plus back pay on July 5.
The deal will now progress to the Fair Work Commission for final approval. The RTBU also welcomed the move after a 'tough process'. 'It's fantastic that this long, and often bitter, dispute can finally be put behind us and that workers can get back to doing what they do best – moving commuters safely around the state,' union secretary Toby Warnes said at the time.
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