Thank goodness common sense has prevailed and NSW rail unions won't go ahead with a planned strike next Thursday.
That strike would have caused chaos in the midst of World Youth Day celebrations, the biggest in Sydney since the 2000 Olympics.
Any decision to strike would have been seen as a premeditated act of bastardry on behalf of the unions.
Not only would it have harmed the unions' cause but more importantly it would have severely embarrassed those hosting the tens of thousands of WYD pilgrims from throughout the world and damaged Australia's global reputation.
While the Mercury doesn't condone the rail unions' threat to spoil WYD celebrations, it does support their claims for a decent wage rise.
After all, these are the people who day in and day out are forced to operate the state's archaic rail network.
Poor management, appalling corruption, second-rate infrastructure and rolling stock, breakdowns and timetable failures all make our rail system one of the worst in Australia.
Put bluntly, NSW is a laughing stock and those forced to deal with the daily abuse of irate commuters deserve a break.
The unions have shown a great deal of goodwill by cancelling their strike. The State Government should do the same and settle their wage demands.