The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) has called threats to cancel Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks an “outrageous” scare tactic after NSW Premier Chris Minns again suggested the iconic event could be scrapped if planned strike action isn’t called off.
The Fair Work Commission is currently considering whether to permit the industrial action to go ahead, with a decision to come tomorrow.
Minns said the union’s demands for an 8 per cent pay rise increase, every year for four years, was unsustainable.
“It would mean a massive increase in fares – 17 per cent a year, every year,” he said.
The RTBU overnight offered to put major strike action on hold until January 7, if the government meets two conditions.
The first is to withdraw its submissions currently before the commission, while the second is to approve free public transport for passengers in New South Wales until the new enterprise agreement is reached.
Minns and Transport Minister Jo Haylen both labelled the offer – particularly the free fares – a stunt.
Minns said he had “stupidly” agreed to fare-free periods twice during negotiations with the union, and it had not helped resolve the dispute.
“I’m not going to make the same mistake three times,” he said.
He said that if the government’s bid to block industrial action was unsuccessful, there were still options on the table, though he did not specify what the government was considering.
‘We do have options if we’re unsuccessful tomorrow, including – I hate to say this – cancelling the fireworks,” he said.
“That’s not a recommendation I want to make.”
Union secretary Toby Warnes said this afternoon that they would give the government until 10am tomorrow morning to accept the offer, which is when Fair Work Australia will hear the case.
He also said if the enterprise agreement they are asking for is met, union workers would not be able to take industrial action.
“If the premier comes today and makes an enterprise agreement I want to make something clear… we [would not] be able to take industrial action with an enterprise agreement in place.”
Warnes also said he was confident the Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks wouldn’t be cancelled.
“There’s no chance the New Year’s Eve fireworks will be cancelled,” he said.
“That’s just an outrageous stunt to scare the people of NSW.
“We will not be stopping trains… there will be trains on New Year’s Eve, there’ll be every type of transport you can think of.”
“We’ve always been committed to finding a way forward which would see minimal disruption on New Year’s Eve and throughout the remainder of the festive season.”
“We’re hopeful the NSW government is as committed to commuters as we are.”
However, a spokesperson for the state government said agreeing to these conditions would “cost millions of dollars that we don’t have”.
“And if we did do it, the people of NSW know that it has to be paid for by them in another way,” they said.
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“It’s just not affordable.”
The spokesperson said the government would keep “all legal auctions on the table” to avoid disrupting travel over the holidays.
It’s estimated that scrapping public transport fares across the state could cost $127 million a month.
