Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks have been saved after a last-minute deal between rail unions and the New South Wales government.
Revelers were worried about the threat of fireworks cancellation due to train strikes amid an ongoing pay battle.
A Christmas Eve hearing collapsed on Tuesday morning, when the Fair Work Commission agreed the union had abandoned enough action for there to be a negligible risk to New Year’s celebrations.
Despite threats of action over the festive period, the NSW branch of the union lifted eight major work bans late on Monday.
A lawyer for Sydney Trains requested a half-hour private meeting with the parties at the hearing before the industrial arbitrator on Monday, saying there had been “encouraging discussions” overnight.
The media and public were removed while the parties deliberated.
The commission returned at 10am and the matter was apparently resolved without much interference from Fair Work Commission vice-chairman Bryce Cross.
The union agreed to abandon a solidarity action and another by the Electricians Union to guarantee public safety during the holidays.
RTBU NSW Branch Secretary Toby Warnes (centre) and the NSW Government reached an agreement on Tuesday.
The union had deemed the last-minute changes necessary to help avoid actions that would “effectively crush” its bargaining strategy.
It means New Year’s Eve revelers and the businesses that depend on them no longer need to anxiously await the industrial arbiter’s decision on potentially devastating train delays and cancellations.
Pub and bar operators, a casino and the New South Wales Labor government had planned to argue on Tuesday that work bans on train drivers planned for New Year would cause significant harm to third parties and potentially endanger lives.
The commission hearing comes after NSW Police warned of “serious concerns” for safety if a million people expected to line Sydney Harbor on New Year’s Eve were to encounter difficulties to go out after the midnight fireworks.
Organizers say another 400 million people around the world watch the fireworks.
The event generates an economic benefit of around $280 million for the city.
New Year’s Eve is also the busiest day on Australia’s largest rail network, with rare overnight journeys transporting people around the state.
Some 3,200 services run approximately every five minutes throughout the day, with the decisive moment coming an hour after midnight, when the masses try to leave together.
Sydney’s New Year’s Eve trains will run all night, after rail unions and the New South Wales government reached a deal.
The union and the government are at opposite poles after seven months of wage negotiations.
Workers are still demanding four eight per cent annual pay rises, but Premier Chris Minns has said that is unaffordable and cannot happen while he denies nurses an equally costly claim.
The state government has offered 11 per cent over three years, including pension increases.
The saga could drag on for several more months.
The Fair Work Commission cannot be asked to resolve the substantial dispute – pay and conditions – until February.