Tuesday tram strike cancelled
A 24-hour tram strike planned for today has been called off while drivers consider a revised pay offer from private operator Torrens Connect.
Drivers last week announced an all-day strike for Tuesday as their pay dispute with Torrens Connect escalated.
But on Monday afternoon the Transport Department said that Adelaide Metro had been told the strike would not proceed and all Adelaide tram services would run as normal.
Torrens Connect said in a statement that the strike would not proceed, following “a constructive discussion concerning the proposed enterprise agreement”.
The operator said that Rail Tram and Bus Union members called off the planned strike after a “revised offer for employee consideration”.
The union says drivers are currently considering this offer, and will not proceed with the strike in the meantime.
“Tram workers are absolutely determined to get a fair and reasonable pay rise from this negotiation,” RTBU SA/NT secretary Darren Phillips said.
“They also recognise that this dispute is frustrating for commuters, so they have agreed to suspend all industrial actions while they consider the new offer.”
The planned strike would have seen all tram services cancelled on Tuesday, leading to Adelaide Metro scheduling replacement bus services between Glenelg and the Entertainment Centre.
Drivers rejected one offer from Torrens Connect earlier this month, which led to the threat of the full-day work stoppage, and tram services have been impacted three times over the last five weeks due to industrial action.
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Phillips previously said drivers backed industrial action because the previous offer was “still well short of their demand for a pay rise that reflects the increasing cost of living”.
“The fact is that these workers are on a relatively low base pay rate of $67,000 a year, and inflation has been eroding the value of their pay year after year,” Phillips said.
“They are fed up, and they do not want to keep going backwards.”
