Sydney’s famed New Year’s Eve fireworks could be shut down if planned industrial action brings the nation’s biggest rail network to a grinding halt on its busiest night of the year.
Work bans forced scores of train delays and cancellations on Friday, while the South Coast Line was shut completely amid the government’s wage dispute with train workers.
On Thursday, the Federal Court dismissed an attempt by the NSW government to block work bans by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU), opening up the door for immediate industrial action which is set to ramp up over the coming weeks.
Here’s what you should know.
Why are rail workers striking?
The RTBU has been in a lengthy dispute with the NSW government, with several months of negotiations failing to produce an agreement.
The union’s demands remain unchanged. It’s called for a 32 per cent pay rise over four years — or 8 per cent per year — and a 35-hour work week, among multiple other demands.
Sydney commuters have been urged to delay non-essential travel if possible or consider alternative transport options. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
The union also wants an additional 1 per cent employer superannuation contribution, and all overtime paid as double time.
“Members will do whatever it takes to achieve what they deserve,” RTBU NSW secretary Toby Warnes has insisted, adding it was up to the state government to respond.
Last month, while defending rail action, Warnes said: “Our protected industrial action is always about causing a headache for the government, so they actually listen to the needs of their workforce. It’s never about disrupting the travelling public.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns has called the union’s pay rise demands unaffordable. The government previously offered an 11 per cent pay rise across three years, including superannuation increases.
How could New Year’s Eve celebrations be affected?
New Year’s Eve is the busiest day on Australia’s largest rail network, as millions of people are shuttled around Sydney Harbour and elsewhere in the city for fireworks and other celebrations.
Some 3,200 services run about every five minutes “to get people in and out safely”, according to NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen.
New Year’s Eve is the busiest day on Australia’s largest rail network, as people flock to the city for fireworks and other celebrations. Source: Getty / Brett Hemmings/City of Sydney
On Friday, NSW Police commissioner Karen Webb said the dispute could result in the plug being pulled on Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks.
“Each year, we police New Year’s Eve on the basis that 250,000 people can come into the city and then safely leave the city,” she told reporters.
“Leaving the city is based on access to transport, including trains. If trains aren’t available, and people can’t leave the city, I have very large concerns of the risk that will create to the public because families won’t be able to get home, and they’ll be trapped in the city with no way out.”
Webb said she “hadn’t ruled out” recommending to the government that the fireworks be cancelled. “It’s that serious,” she said.
NSW Police commissioner Karen Webb said she hadn’t ruled out recommending the government cancel Sydney’s annual New Year’s Eve fireworks. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
Haylen says “any level” of industrial action during the time “is not acceptable”.
But RTBU says that while industrial action limiting how far drivers can travel in a shift would delay trains and force some cancellations, it would not bring New Year’s Eve celebrations to a standstill.
“There will absolutely still be trains running on New Year’s Eve,” Warnes told ABC Radio on Friday.
“The fireworks are still going to happen; people are still going to make their way into the city,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“It will mean they can’t run quite as many trains, but there will certainly be trains running.”
He also acknowledged that revellers could drive, get a taxi or catch public transport (including the train).
What happens next?
The union has more than 200 work bans it can enact if it chooses. Those include limiting the number of trains that can run on New Year’s Eve, or limiting the number of kilometres workers will travel.
Train crews are reportedly planning to work progressively fewer kilometres each day from 28 December.
One of the potential actions the union could implement is a network-wide shutdown unless trains run 24 hours across Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. It has, however, so far.
The NSW government is also planning another 11th-hour attempt to block industrial action, with a scheduled Fair Work Commission (FWC) hearing on Monday — Christmas Eve.
The government will argue the work bans should be suspended because of danger to community safety and economic harm.
Negotiations between the union and state government remain at an impasse, with Minns saying that the two parties are “miles apart”.
Minns says that even if the state government doesn’t win in the FWC proceedings, he won’t “be dragged to the negotiating table” to pay the “exorbitant” amount the union is demanding.
NSW RTBU branch secretary Toby Warnes said on Friday that rail workers were willing to settle for a middle ground in the union’s negotiations with the government. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts
Warnes said on Friday that rail workers were willing to settle for a middle ground.
“If the government wants to come to the table with an offer, they should make that offer and then we’ll take it to our members.
“If our members accept it, then the dispute is resolved.”
Outside of that, the FWC can be asked to settle the dispute from February.
