Tasmanian rail workers will walk off the job for 24 hours on Friday after wage negotiations derailed.
The statewide strike will begin at 12:01am on January 23 and is expected to affect freight services across the state.
Rail, Bus and Tram Union (RTBU) state secretary Mark Dunsby said workers had reached ‘tipping point’ after a bargaining meeting failed to resolve long-standing workplace issues.
“Threats and posturing will not intimidate our members,” he said.
“TasRail’s attempt to strong-arm its workforce only reinforces why workers standing together is so important.”
Dunsby accused management of adopting a confrontational approach instead of working towards a fair agreement.
The unions said TasRail had threatened to stand down electrical workers without pay for observing partial work bans, including limits on using hand tools and fault-finding.
CEPU organiser Amanda Coleman described the threat as “outrageous behaviour from a state-owned Tasmanian company”.
TasRail chief executive Steven Dietrich said the company was disappointed the unions had rejected a revised wage offer during talks on Wednesday.
“We believe that a 16% wage increase in the current environment is a reasonable offer,” he said.
Dietrich said negotiations had been ongoing for 10 months and urged the unions to consider the offer on its merits.
While acknowledging cost-of-living pressures were affecting workers, he said the proposed increase over three and a half years would help address those concerns.
TasRail said it would manage the impacts of the strike to minimise disruption to services.
The unions said they remained committed to securing a fair outcome and would not back down.
