SYDNEY— NSW Premier Nathan Rees and Transport Minister David Campbell had to flee an angry group of rail unionists at a scheduled press conference at Central Station on August 6.
The protesters demanded to know why the increased use of public transport touted by the government was being met with "staff reviews" and other "cost cutting" measures, leaving stations either unstaffed or understaffed.
The Rail Tram and Bus Union had previously agreed to be part of the staff review committees, but withdrew support because management representatives had not "done their homework" and had bogged the process down with inaccurate data.
Commuters have responded to the Save Our Stations Campaign run by rank-and-file unionists. The campaign's slogan — "Our community deserves better" — is about rail workers joining with the community to defend public transport.