00:00With only eight days to go until New Year's Eve, the clock is ticking for the State Government
00:06to try and find some way to stop the swathe of protected industrial action that has been
00:12plaguing Sydney's rail network for more than a month now from continuing over the busy
00:17holiday period.
00:18The State Government has its last chance to do so in a Christmas Eve hearing at the Fair
00:23Work Commission tomorrow.
00:24Premier Crispian says if that falls through, authorities may be forced to cancel Sydney's
00:29world-famous New Year's Eve fireworks.
00:32Now this can all be traced back with the union's long-running pay dispute.
00:36They're asking the State Government for a 32% pay increase, which the State Government
00:41says the budget cannot afford.
00:43They went into two weeks of intensive negotiations, which dramatically ended with the State Government
00:49applying for an injunction to ban all industrial action from taking place on the rail network
00:54through the Federal Court.
00:56But that was only in place for about a week, and it was lifted last week when the union
01:01successfully argued its case in the Federal Court.
01:04They now find themselves in the position that they are today.
01:07The combined rail unions last night put an offer to the State Government, saying that
01:12it will call off all of its protected industrial action over the New Year's Eve weekend if
01:18the State Government offers fare-free travel.
01:21And pretty quickly, Premier Crispman's ruled out that demand as well, saying he's agreed
01:25to it twice before, and described his previous decisions as stupid.
01:30Here's what he had to say today.
01:31I stupidly agreed to that twice in the last six months, hoping that it would solve the
01:37industrial dispute.
01:40But the strikes kept happening, and the industrial dispute went longer.
01:43Nothing changed.
01:45So twice the unions have demanded that the Government introduce fare-free days.
01:49We've done it on two occasions, and yet the dispute goes on and on and on.
01:53Now that Fair Work Commission hearing tomorrow, the State Government says it's applied for
01:57a section 424, saying that it has serious safety concerns if there is no public transport
02:04on New Year's Eve night.
02:05It also says that it can't take place because it will have a severe impact on the State's
02:10economy.
02:11The State's Police Commissioner, Karen Webb, supports that as well, saying that police
02:15will not be able to do their job if there's no way to safely get people home.
02:20The State Government also says that there's more than 200 pieces of protected industrial
02:24action that has continued to plague the network over the last six weeks, and they say it's
02:29continuing to call delays and cancellations, although it's not had a significant impact
02:34on the rail network today.
02:36It still holds concerns for the many weeks ahead, especially for commuters who may be
02:40travelling or using the train to see family over the holiday period.
02:45While the State Government says it has contingency plans in case it's case that the Fair Work
02:49Commission falls over tomorrow, it says ultimately it still may be forced to make the dramatic
02:55decision so that Sydneysiders will be forced to reign in the new year with a fizzle rather
03:00than with a bang.
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