The 24-hour rail strike in Sydney will not go ahead after the Fair Work Commission ruled it would pose too great a threat to the region's economy and safety.

"I am satisfied, based on the evidence, that this industrial action taken together - or indeed separately - threatens to endanger the welfare of part of the population, including the large number of people in Sydney and surrounding areas who rely on the services provided by Sydney Trains and NSW Trains to get to work, attend school or otherwise go about their business, as well as those who will suffer from the increased congestion on the roads that would be an inevitable consequence of the industrial action," said Fair Work Commission deputy commissioner Jonathan Hamberger said in his judgment.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the decision was a "huge relief" that had "vindicated" the government, which claimed the industrial action would have cost the state $90 Million, brought Sydney to a standstill, and forced the cancellations of elective surgery.  Which might make one wonder, if the rail workers are so important, why not pay them what they're worth?  But that's none of my business.

The decision "marks the death of the right to strike in Australia," said Rail, Tram, and Bus Union (RTBU) national secretary Bob Nanva.  "Australia already has some of the most restrictive industrial laws in the world when it comes to the rights of workers to withhold their labour," he added.  "The Fair Work Commission has said workers cannot strike even when they have complied with these restrictive laws.

"Australian workers are being treated like second-class citizens in their own country," said Mr. Nanva.  "It is clear that the rules are broken and we need to start again with a new set of laws to protect the basic rights of everyone who has a job."