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Train commutes have been disrupted across Brisbane, with delays expected during the afternoon peak and the rail union and Queensland Rail blaming each other for an escalation in an ongoing industrial dispute.
About 20,000 people and 40,000 journeys were expected to be impacted across about 180 services on Wednesday during the stoush between QR and the Rail Tram and Bus Union.
The union said controllers had only planned to stop work for coal and mineral freight trains, but the state government-owned QR did not allow them that option and was ultimately responsible for disruption to commuters.
“Any impact on passengers is purely self-inflicted and entirely the choice of the Queensland government,” RTBU Queensland secretary Peter Allen said.
QR chief executive Kat Stapleton did not dispute that workers had offered to staff the passenger network.
“We want people to come to work and do their full job, which means delivering for all customers, not just passengers, not just freight, but for all of them,” she said outside Central Station on Wednesday morning.
“Let’s assume you’re an air traffic controller and go, ‘I’m just going to let Virgin planes through, but I’m not letting other planes through.’
“We want to make sure that people do their full day’s work to be paid.”
The Ipswich and Rosewood line and Cleveland line were directly affected, while the industrial action caused further cancellations of some morning services, including between Northgate and Sandgate, Northgate and Central, and Roma Street and the Domestic Airport.
Stapleton said negotiations had continued into Tuesday evening, and representatives for QR were still trying work out a solution with the union on Wednesday morning.
According to the government body, workers had been asking for a base pay rise of 7 per cent next year and 5 per cent in the two following years. Other conditions including reduced work hours were also requested, as were additional pay rises for some positions including controllers.
QR was instead offering a deal over four years, with a 3 per cent rise in the first year and 2.5 per cent in the subsequent three years. An additional increase tied to inflation was also offered.
“We are urging unions to postpone and drop the protected industrial action and return back to the bargaining table,” Stapleton said.
“We have made a very fair and reasonable offer, which is in line with government wages policy.”
A representative for the union was due to speak to reporters at 1pm.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie came out swinging out on Tuesday, saying the union was operating from the playbook of the CFMEU.
“This is the rail union taking Queenslanders for a bad ride,” he said.
“We are in a fuel crisis and it is outrageous that the rail union would decide today of all days to do a 24-hour strike.”
Stapleton did not categorise the action as a strike when asked the following morning.
“I would call it protected industrial action and, again, we respect our workers’ rights to protected industrial action,” she said.
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