Union threatens Sydney with ‘garbage chaos’ after Clover Moore claims industrial action
Olsen said the offer wasn’t good enough as workers would lose their overtime rates. “The City of Sydney community can only expect more garbage chaos under this proposal, which will not attract drivers to fill the 40 per cent labor deficit,” he said.
Moore said the council’s internal waste team is responsible for picking up rubbish in the Oxford Street precinct and cleaning footpaths and streets, so those operations are unaffected by Cleanaway’s industrial disputes, which affect household rubbish.
A mural as part of the facelift of Oxford Street and surrounding streets for WorldPride.Credit:Louie Douvis
WorldPride organizers on Thursday officially launched Pride Villages, a state government-funded program to close parts of Crown and Riley Streets to traffic for nine days to put food, booths and live street performances at heart of Sydney’s Gaybourhood.
Around 500,000 people are expected to attend the 17-day festival, including 78,000 visitors, which will pump $112 million into the NSW economy.
Kate Wickett, executive director of WorldPride, said that in a typical Mardi Gras year in Sydney, 13 to 15 percent of visitors came from abroad and this year it would be similar. “People are filling our hotels, they’re really busy,” she said.
Wickett said the event was “the catalyst to get Oxford Street back to what it once was… we can certainly see that happening now”.
Sydney WorldPride marks the first time the biennial LGBTQ festival has been held in the Southern Hemisphere.Credit:Louie Douvis
The state of the LGBTQ epicenter of Oxford Street has long been an issue. The council commissioned a giant work of art to cover the construction fencing outside of the AsheMorgan/TOGA redevelopment, which is three blocks along the Strip and is under construction.
Loading
It also set aside $300,000 toward beautifying and activating the district, but many storefronts remain boarded up. Moore said landlords have so far agreed to activate six vacant stores and negotiations are ongoing for another five.
Two of the confirmed activations were an international pride center selling merchandise and a First Nations meeting space being set up near Universal nightclub.
“Sydney WorldPride has also contacted landowners to seek consent for the installation of temporary window stickers on street shop fronts,” Moore said. “Unfortunately, some landlords were unavailable or unwilling to participate in this process.”
The City of Sydney commissioned a large mural to cover the construction fences in front of the TOGA construction site on Oxford Street.Credit:Louie Douvis
Moore said people should wait until the festival starts to judge. “When the day comes, it will be like magic,” she said. When asked if that meant stores would be filled over the next seven days, she said, “We hope so, yes.”
In addition to the state-sponsored Pride Villages, a Little Creatures Village featuring various forms of outdoor entertainment will be set up in Taylor Square for seven consecutive days from noon to midnight beginning February 27.
“There’s a lot going on,” said Richie Haines of Universal Hotels, which operates the Oxford Hotel and Universal. “We look forward to Sydney hosting a fantastic celebration and party.”
The Morning Edition Newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Login here.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/union-threatens-garbage-chaos-for-worldpride-after-moore-says-dispute-is-sorted-20230209-p5cj4v.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_national_nsw Union threatens Sydney with ‘garbage chaos’ after Clover Moore claims industrial action
