Railroaded: the drastic actions to redefine victory in the Sydney train dispute

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union’s NSW secretary Alex Claassens says the ongoing industrial dispute is about safety, not public relations. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Alex Claassens has gotten used to winning. In his 12th year as the state secretary of the powerful Rail, Tram and Bus Union, he seemed to have outmanoeuvred the New South Wales government at every turn in a hostile and protracted industrial dispute that has caused chaos on Sydney’s train network.

It happened in February, when the government hastily shut down the state’s rail network.