Queensland Rail has hit back at “false claims” made about changes to its staffing.
The RTBU Queensland branch recently criticised “reckless cuts” set to come into effect in May, which they said will leave passengers at certain stations without any on-the-ground assistance after 1pm on weekdays and no staff presence at all on weekends.
Branch Secretary Peter Allen said the changes will leave some of the community’s most vulnerable members at risk.
“This is a devastating blow to our sector but also the community as a whole,” he said. “People who rely on staff for ramp access and navigation will effectively be locked out of the network on afternoons and weekends, while students and young people travelling after school will have no staff to turn to if something goes wrong.
“Reducing service by removing staff is a disregard of the core obligation of public transport, which is to serve the entire community, not just peak-hour commuters.
“This decision isolates people with disabilities, elderly passengers and those with low digital literacy who rely on staff to navigate the network.”
Labor party politicans claimed 700 Queensland Rail workers would lose their jobs as a result of these changes.
“These are callous and reckless cuts to an essential service and to local jobs in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis,” said Mark Bailey, Labor MP for Miller.
However Queensland Rail has said all frontline jobs are secure and that staffing changes have been made based on patronage...
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