The government and rail workers reached an 11th-hour compromise Tuesday, allowing Sydney’s New Year’s fireworks, one of the most magnificent celebrations of the calendar change in the world, to go.
It is anticipated that up to 250,000 people would travel to Sydney to see the performance, and they will then have to head back home.
A contentious pay dispute had prompted train workers to threaten industrial action, and the administration had hinted at the fireworks’ potential postponement, citing concerns that commuters wouldn’t be able to go home safely.
However, an hour after the court hearing started, a lawsuit that was supposed to be considered by the nation’s Fair Work Commission on Tuesday was dropped.
“Families can now have confidence that they can get in and out of the central business district, business can plan ahead and people can get to and from work in this critical time of the year,” New South Wales Transport Minister Jo Haylen said.
“Christmas, New Year’s Eve and the Sydney Test (cricket match) are too important to the state and they are now safe as the union has withdrawn their industrial action.”
Toby Warnes, state secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, told local media that the union had never intended to cause significant inconveniences on New Year’s Eve.
In the upcoming weeks, the government and the rail workers will begin pay negotiations.
