‘Don’t ruin a great night’: Plea as Riverfire ferry chaos looms
Brisbane’s ferries will be shut down for Riverfire, potentially leaving 27,000 partygoers scrambling.
Brisbane’s ferries will be shutdown for Riverfire as unions escalate industrial action amid an ongoing pay dispute.
A 24-hour strike will begin from 4am on Saturday — the day up to 500,000 people are expected to travel to the city, South Bank and other precincts along the Brisbane River for the fireworks display, which officially opens the Brisbane Festival.
Brisbane City Council was notified of the strike on Tuesday morning.
The council’s public transport chair, Andrew Wines, said picking Riverfire weekend was “nothing but a stunt designed to cause maximum pain for maximum attention”.
“Riverfire is one of Brisbane’s biggest nights of the year and it’s an absolute disgrace the union is planning to mess with it,” Wines said.
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“Tens of thousands of people just want to get into the city, enjoy the fireworks and get home safely.”
It is estimated more than 27,000 passengers took ferry trips to and from Riverfire last year, sparking claims from Wines that Brisbane families were being “used as bargaining chips” in the ongoing dispute.
The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and the Australian Maritime Officers Union (AMOU) have periodically shut down ferries for hours at a time since July 30, leading to confusion for passengers.
The workers operate Brisbane’s ferry services under contract to Brisbane City Council.
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“My message to the union bosses is simple: pull your heads in and call this strike off,” Wines said.
“Don’t ruin a great Brisbane night just to make a point.”
RiverCity Ferries, a subsidiary of Kelsian and Sealink which operates the Brisbane City Council ferries, has said it has offered a 4.75 per cent first year increase — above inflation — with further increases linked to the Fair Work Commission annual wage review.
In a statement, the MUA said workers “were standing up for basic standards that should be non-negotiable in a safety-critical industry.”
“These workers keep Brisbane’s ferries moving every day of the year, through heat, storms, weekends and public holidays,” MUA Queensland branch organiser Jaiden Simpson said.
“Instead, RiverCity Ferries wants workers to accept a substandard deal while dressing up legal minimums as though they are generous new benefits.”
The MUA has said it is seeking paid parental leave and a six per cent increase in the first year, followed by either 4.75 per cent or the FWC increase, depending on which is higher.
Members are also seeking backpay from the expiry of the current Agreement, which the union claims will “discourage stonewalling and delay as a bosses’ bargaining tactic”.
For safety, the union said it is also seeking a 12-hour break between shifts to address fatigue, and an increase in meal breaks from 30 to 45 minutes.
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