Eurostar Train rail, London
Footprints are seen in the snow at Clapham Junction in south London, December 22, 2009. Eurostar trains between Britain and France resumed on Tuesday after three-days of cancellations because of heavy snow, but severe weather conditions continued to cause travel chaos in Britain. Reuters/Toby Melville

The transport strike on Thursday has disturbed the commuters in Melbourne. The Rail Tram and Bus Union, or RTBU, and Yarra Trams had a talk on the payment issues, but both the parties failed to come to a mutual conclusion, which called for a four-hour strike by the RTBU. It was the first time in 18 years that the city rail services have come to a halt, which made commuters to suffer a lot.

The wage dispute prompted a wave of anger among the Metro Train staff, who warned to take industrial action in the coming week. They also indicated a strike from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. once again this Friday. However, their plan to shut the railway system next Friday shook the government. Even the ministers were angry with the way the matter was being dealt with.

Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan stated that the discussions over wage dispute will continue on Friday, urging the RTBU to negotiate with Yarra Trams and try to figure out a solution for the problem.

Allan said that it is completely up to both the parties involved to come to negotiable terms. “Because if they’re getting the best outcome for their members, they should be doing that in the negotiating room, not by taking unnecessary industrial action that only punishes passengers,” she said .

The RTBU demanded for 19 percent rise in pay, while Yarra Trams offered only 13 to 15 percent during the talks on Thursday. Allan is really hopeful about the union taking relevant steps in the meeting that has been scheduled on Friday. She spoke against the proposed industrial action by the tram staffs and said that it is unjustified to hamper the passengers’ lives.

Opposition Spokesperson David Hodgett advocated for legal actions to be taken by the government to avoid any more transport strike. “When you look at yesterday’s action you have to ask yourself why did the industrial action go ahead when talks were already scheduled for today, it was totally unnecessary,” he said on Friday.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said that Premier Daniel Andrews, who slammed the Thursday strike as unnecessary and unjustified, would “get these people in a room, sit them down and solve the dispute.”

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