Rail risk could see Sydney fireworks cancelled

NSW’s top police officer has warned she could order the cancellation of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks if the rail union carries out its industrial action threat.

Sydney’s iconic New Year’s Eve fireworks could be cancelled over ‘grave safety concerns’ amid planned action by the state’s rail unions. Picture: AFP

NSW’s top police officer has warned she could order the cancellation of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks if the rail union carries out its industrial action threat, citing “grave concerns” for safety.

Sydney’s economy could also cop a $98m hit if the fireworks were cancelled, the state’s peak business body has said.

But the powerful Rail, Tram and Bus Union has accused the state government of peddling “fibs” to an “honest public servant” about the scale of their industrial action, saying Labor was “resorting to hysteria” to scare the public and help its Fair Work case.

This is despite its state secretary, Toby Warnes, backtracking on previous comments that New Year’s Eve could see “50 per cent less trains” – a claim he now says was made in error, alleging disruption would be only “negligible” on December 31.

On Friday, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said she would not rule out cancelling Sydney’s fireworks if the RTBU didn’t rethink its industrial action planned for the 31st.

“I haven’t ruled out that I will recommend to the government that we cancel the fireworks, it’s that serious,” she said.

“When it’s time to go home, and the fireworks are over, the job is to get them out safely and quickly, and if there’s no transport, we can’t do that, and I can’t guarantee safety.

“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.”

On Thursday, the Federal Court threw out the state government’s bid to block work bans by the RTBU, opening the door to immediate industrial action, including on New Year’s Eve.

NSW Premier Chris Minns, left, and Police Commissioner Karen Webb in Sydney on Friday. Picture: Jeremy Piper

The government later lodged action with the Fair Work Commission to block the union’s proposed New Year’s Eve action, citing potential customer safety in and economic harm to the city on December 31.

Business NSW CEO Daniel Hunter warned that the cancellation of Sydney’s “iconic celebrations” would be a “disaster” for businesses and the city’s “international brand”, and could cost the economy close to $100m.

“It would take us years to recover from this,” he said.

“This is the time when small and medium business owners, especially mum and dad business owners, make their money. This may push many businesses into bankruptcy – and we’ve seen enough bankruptcies this year as it is.”

But Mr Warnes said that any “safety risk” had been concocted by the government to pile on pressure on the union and to aid its Fair Work case.

“The government has totally lost its way… resorting to hysteria and scaring the public,” he said.

“Our action at most would have minimal impact.”

More than 200 work bans are available to the RTBU, including refusing to work with contractors, a limit to the number of kilometres workers will travel, and signallers not clearing the way for workers to fix non-urgent faults.

Toby Warnes, front, and Craig Turner, back right, ahead of a Friday press conference in Sydney. Picture: Nikki Short

The RTBU suggested the only one likely to have any “minimal” effect on December 31 would be its ban on signallers, adding that there would be 40 per cent more workers to help with the uptick in demand.

Mr Warnes said the public had his “undertaking” that if there was any safety risk, which the union disputes, the RTBU would change their plans to alleviate that real or perceived possibility.

He didn’t accused Commissioner Webb of lying, rather that the government had given her the “wrong information” about the impact of industrial action, despite his own previous “50 per cent less trains” comments, something he said were made quickly at a press conference without realising the increased staffing levels.

“The information the commissioner has is unlikely to be correct, because the impacts (of the RTBU’s industrial action) she envisioned are not… in reality going to take place,” he said.

The Fair Work Commission will hear the government’s application to block the New Year’s Eve action on December 24 and Mr Warnes said the RTBU had decided on Friday to suspend any support to the NSW Labor Party.

RTBU president Craig Turner – a Sydney Trains guard – said if the government chose to cancel the New Year’s Eve fireworks it would be the “biggest disgrace in state history”.

“We (the union) would never put the public in harm’s way and never would,” he said.

“People (on New Year’s Eve) will get into town and will get home safely… this is hysteria.”

The government has so far offered the RTBU a 9.5 per cent rise over three years, and an extra 0.5 per cent in the first if a deal is reached expeditiously. The union has not budged on its demands and is asking for a 32 per cent pay rise across four years.