Union Under Fire Over New Year’s Eve Train Strike Concerns
Catherine King urges the Rail, Tram and Bus Union to resolve disputes to avoid chaos on New Year’s Eve in Sydney
Sydney, Australia, New Year’s Eve, Train Strike, RTBU, Catherine King
Sydney: There’s a lot of chatter about the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and their ongoing issues with the NSW government. Catherine King, the federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister, is really pushing them to get things sorted out. She’s worried that a strike on New Year’s Eve could put a lot of people in a tough spot.
This week, train services have been pretty shaky because of the union’s industrial action over pay disputes. King gets that the union has its grievances, but she thinks they’re hurting themselves by dragging this out.
She made it clear that this isn’t the best time for a strike, especially with everyone trying to finish their Christmas shopping. Plus, the New Year’s Eve fireworks are a big deal, and people look forward to them.
Every year, over a million folks head to Sydney Harbour to catch the fireworks show, which is watched by millions around the globe. But the NSW Police chief has hinted that if things don’t improve, they might have to consider canceling the fireworks.
With around 250,000 people coming into the city on that day, getting them out safely after the show is crucial. If there’s no transport, it could get messy.
The union was told to stop their industrial action, but a court decision allowed them to continue. Passengers are being advised to look for other travel options while this is going on.
To help out, an extra 1,000 train services are planned for New Year’s Eve, which is usually the busiest time for public transport in the state. But there’s still a chance that about half of the train services could be affected.
On top of that, local businesses are sounding the alarm about a potential $98 million hit to the Sydney economy if the fireworks get canceled. They’re urging the unions to reconsider their actions, as it could really hurt small and medium-sized businesses.
Paul Nicolaou from Business Sydney emphasized that this is a big deal for the community and the city’s reputation. He’s calling for everyone to work together to avoid any disruptions.