New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has rejected a peace proposal from rail unions that would have seen them temporarily halt strike action threatening Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebrations in exchange for free travel for passengers.
On Monday, Mings said he had previously “foolishly agreed” to demands for fare-free days twice in recent months in negotiations with rail unions, but his concessions ultimately did not lead to progress.
As a result, he said there was now a “question of trust” between his government and the Rail Tram and Bus Union – the leader of the current pay dispute – over whether the government would deliver on its proposals.
Mings also attacked the RTBU’s guarantee of New Year’s Eve services in exchange for fare-free travel as it contradicted the rail union’s wage demands, which have increased by 32 per cent in four years. Minns said just one month of free travel would cost the government more than $100 million in lost revenue.
Labor rejected the offer on Monday, adding to the seriousness of Tuesday’s Fair Work Commission hearing. The hearing is to determine the government’s application to suspend rolling strike action over the New Year on the grounds that it would endanger community safety and cause economic damage – estimated at $98 million on December 31 alone.
“We will await the verdict, but the stakes could not be higher,” Mings said.
“We are not trying to get bloody and we believe we have been reasonable, but if I go back to the bargaining table today and agree to the union’s demands, then I can guarantee you one thing: next year’s New Year’s Day will be on the table. The same goes for Country of Origin, the same goes for the Finals, the same goes for Christmas, and the same goes for Easter.
“This pattern repeats itself over and over again. At the end of the day, governments have to draw a line,” he said.
The RTBU on Sunday proposed a peace deal to the New South Wales government that would suspend all operations until January 7 if the government waived fares for Sydney commuters until an agreement was reached.
The Labor government and unions have been at loggerheads for months over a new enterprise agreement.
In a memo leaked to the government, the union set out its proposal to respond to the application.
“Although your application appears to be based on a misunderstanding of the organization’s actions [and] The economic evidence consists entirely of assumptions,” the leaked union quote reads.
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“Nonetheless, we are writing to offer a way forward that will minimize disruption to New Year’s Eve and the festive period.”
NSW Union secretary Toby Warnes said earlier on Monday morning he had not heard from the government, and a spokesman for Minns Union said the proposal would be rejected.
“It would cost millions of dollars, and we don’t have that,” the spokesman said. “If we do do this, the people of New South Wales know they have to pay for it another way – and that’s unaffordable.
“We are keeping all legal options open to ensure this strike does not impact the holiday season.”
The United union, which represents 13,000 rail workers, refused to budge, demanding an 8 percent annual pay increase.
Mings said the government would not provide this information and denied similar claims by paramedics. The New South Wales government’s starting offer to the railway union is a 9.5 per cent pay rise over three years.
In the previous Enterprise Agreement, the government offered an interest rate of 11 per cent over three years, which included pension increases.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb on Friday threatened to cancel Sydney Harbor’s world-famous New Year’s Eve fireworks, citing safety concerns.
“I’m very worried,” she told reporters. “I would not rule out recommending to the government that fireworks displays be cancelled.”
Hundreds of trains were canceled over the weekend due to union strike action, although Warnes said track work was also causing delays.
“Certainly it’s a convenient excuse for the disruption caused to scheduled maintenance work,” he told ABC News on Monday. “But we say to commuters that the government has now put forward a proposal that will allow for absolute peace by January 7.”
Warnes said he hoped commuters frustrated by strike action would quell their anger in order to contest the 2027 general election.