Sydney New Years Eve fireworks could be cancelled if transport chaos continues, warns NSW Police commissioner

What is New Year’s Eve without fireworks? Sydney may be about to find out, with the city at risk of ringing in 2025 without end the year without its iconic harbour display.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has warned she will cancel Sydney’s NYE fireworks display if rail unions carry out their threats to strike.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) is at loggerheads with the Minns Government over their demands for a pay rise and 35-hour work week (without a reduction in remuneration).

The RTBU and five other unions threatened to strike from December 28 if their demands were not met, but have reportedly brought their action forward by a week after the Federal Court cleared a NSW government application to stop the action.

As of Friday morning, 52 services were affected by the strike, and passengers have been warned to expect more delays and cancellations across the Sydney Trains, Intercity and NSW Trainlink network in what is undoubtedly one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

As the strikes began, Ms Webb expressed “grave concerns” about the risk to families and an expected 250,000 revellers “trapped in the city” after attending NYE celebrations on Sydney harbour on December 31.

She said if families can’t get home safely after watching the iconic fireworks displays, there won’t be any to watch.

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

“Each year, we police New Year’s Eve on the basis that 250,000 people can come into the city and then safely leave the city.

“Leaving the city is based on access to transport, including trains. And 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 with no way out.”

A spokesperson for Jo Haylen, the state’s Transport and acting Night-time Economy and Tourism Minister, said the government was considering Ms Webb’s “operational view”.

“If that’s the police commissioner’s operational view, we’re going to take that seriously,” they said, the ABC reports.

NYE is the busiest night of the year for Sydney trains, according to chief executive Matt Longland, and an additional 1000 train services have been scheduled to run throughout the final day of 2024.

Ms Haylen said trains carry over a million passengers each NYE across 300 services every four to five minutes across the Sydney harbour.

Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray slammed the “reckless” strike action, which he said could impact about 50 per cent of train services ahead of the festive period.

“That is not just impractical, it is not just a nuisance factor for government as was stated, it is reckless. It is impossible to run New Year’s Eve at that kind of restriction,” he said.

Both the RTBU and state government have dug in their heels over their enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations.

The RTBU has called for a 32 per cent pay rise over four years — 8 per cent per year — and a 35-hour work week, without a reduction in remuneration.

Union members also want to see an additional 1 per cent employer superannuation contribution and for super to be paid on all hours worked and on parental leave.

They have also requested for training allowances and meal allowances for call-outs, and for penalties to be paid if they are not paid correctly or on time.

Changes to leave and overtime allowances are also on the table. The RTBU has requested annual leave be increased to five weeks for non-shift workers and six-weeks for shift workers. It wants overtime to be paid on the day as double time.

And for employees undergoing fertility treatment, the union wants one day of paid leave for each appointment associated with that treatment.

The NSW Government, in response, applied with the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to block thee industrial action on the grounds of community safety and economic harm, under Section 424 of the Fair Work Act.

Under the Section 424, the FWC can block industrial action if it will endanger life, personal safety, health or welfare of people, or cause significant damage to the economy.

The next hearing will be Monday at 10am (AEDT).

More to come.

One of the actions includes a network-wide shutdown unless trains run 24 hours across Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.