00:00Even with a scaled-back weekend timetable, more than 450 services were delayed or had
00:08to be cancelled. 360 staff were either sick or failed to show.
00:13I just hope they get their things sorted out and then everyone can get back to normal because
00:19it's not just them that's affected, it's like everybody.
00:23Sydney trains and the rail, tram and bus union were back in the Fair Work Commission with
00:27the trains boss alleging foul play. Yesterday we saw what we would deem a record
00:32level of sick leave across the network. That's mainly drivers and guards.
00:38Sydney trains data shows the number of drivers and guards who called in sick was 28% above
00:43the average of the previous six Fridays. We're not satisfied that there was an uptick,
00:47I know that's their case. The union said the data gave no sense of the
00:51normal range of fluctuation. The tribunal heard Sydney trains had issued
00:55thousands of workers with a notice warning they wouldn't be paid for their shift if
00:59at any point they took part in industrial action. After the collapse of pay negotiations
01:04on Thursday night, a work ban known as a go slow was to begin yesterday.
01:09A union official told the tribunal some drivers were worried their pay would be docked even
01:14if they worked as normal. The barrister for Sydney trains acknowledged
01:18he couldn't point to any direct evidence that this was a coordinated campaign, but said
01:23that wasn't unusual in these cases. It's now up to the commission to decide whether
01:27the abnormally large number of absences was orchestrated or pure coincidence.
01:34The Fair Work Commission will deliver its decision tomorrow.
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