Business
31 July, 2026
Dinner table sackings spark outrage after Boral rail contract loss
Workers at Southern Shorthaul Railroad (SSR) were allegedly sacked over the phone while sitting down to dinner with their families this week, prompting legal action from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU).
Workers at Southern Shorthaul Railroad (SSR) were allegedly sacked over the phone while sitting down to dinner with their families this week, prompting legal action from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU).
The union says up to 50 workers across regional NSW have been made redundant following SSR's loss of its rail haulage contract with Boral after the derailment near New Berrima earlier this month.
The RTBU has lodged a dispute with the Fair Work Commission, alleging SSR failed to properly consult workers before making the redundancies. It has also commenced separate proceedings in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission over what it says are health and safety risks arising from the way the redundancies were handled.
RTBU Locomotive Division Secretary Farren Campbell accused the company of treating workers with contempt.
"This is awful news but sadly, very on brand for a rogue operator that has repeatedly put cost-cutting ahead of safety and its own workforce," Mr Campbell said.
"SSR has lurched from safety crisis to safety crisis and now its workers and their families are being made to carry the cost.
"They announced these cuts on 15 July and since then, have provided very limited meaningful consultation before moving to forced redundancies.
"Workers have been left in limbo and denied proper answers, and now hit with life-changing news in the most brutal way possible.
"Regional rail jobs are skilled jobs that support families and communities. We will not stand by as executives shore up their own positions at the expense of working families."
The redundancies come after SSR lost its contract to haul limestone for Boral following the derailment of one of its freight trains near New Berrima on 4 July. The incident led to safety investigations and regulatory action, with rail operations at the Berrima line significantly curtailed.
Mr Campbell said the union would challenge the job losses through every available legal avenue.
"We have legal action afoot in two separate industrial courts to ensure SSR is held accountable for its cowboy approach to basic industrial obligations," he said.
"The RTBU stands with every affected member and SSR should be under no illusion our members will not be thrown on the scrap heap quietly."
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