Luna Park is taking legal action to ensure its New Year’s Eve party proceeds as planned, with industrial action by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) threatening to disrupt Sydney’s celebrations.
The venue’s popular harbour party, which has sold all 6,500 tickets, could be impacted by the ongoing strike, which affects key transport services for the city’s biggest events.
Having recently changed hands for the first time in nearly 20 years with Bill and Mario Gravanis, the brothers behind the Oscars Group, purchasing the iconic Sydney staple last month, Luna Park expressed concern over the timing of the strike. They also noted that other entertainment venues are also considering legal options.
The union clarified that the strike would primarily impact staff travel distances rather than cause widespread disruption for passengers. However, Minister for Transport Jo Haylen declared, “No amount of industrial action on New Year’s Eve would be considered tolerable,” emphasising the need for reliable train services to transport millions of people to Sydney’s harbour for the celebrations.
The NSW government is set to meet with Fair Work on Tuesday, December 24, to prevent further disruptions.
Amid discussions, Paul Nicolaou of Business Sydney told the ABC on Sunday, December 22, “We’re calling on the unions to call off this industrial action because it’s going to have a big impact on small to medium sized businesses and the community’s wellbeing.”
“And if these fireworks are cancelled, millions of dollars are going to be lost.
“And remember, Sydney is the first city that brings in the new year, and it will affect our global reputation.”
He concluded that “anything we can do to call off this industrial action is really, really important.”
Source: Nine News.
