- The Guardian
- Issue #2201
CityFerry operating on the Brisbane River that provides mostly cross-river services. Photo: John Robert McPherson – wikimedia.org (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Workers on Brisbane’s Ferries have made a collective decision to take lawful Protected Industrial Action after RiverCity Ferries left them no other option.
Despite a significant number of bargaining meetings, the company has refused to move on their position and won’t take on board their crew’s concerns in a legitimate and genuine process. The gap between the two parties is demonstrated by the 95% of members who voted No to the company’s last proposal.
River City Ferries won’t even match the Fair Work Commission’s own 4.75% Annual Wage Review increase or keep pace with inflation, claiming it is “not viable” all the while its parent company, Kelsian Group own financial reports show substantial increases in revenue and profit.
The company’s CEO, executive leadership team and board have all received significant increases to their pay packages while the highly skilled and committed members that deliver the company’s service to the Brisbane public every day are being asked to accept an offer below inflation.
The company’s offer fails to address the crew’s genuine concerns around improving their work life balance and address fatigue concerns. This is all while facing the same cost-of-living pressures as the greater community.
MUA and AMOU members say they regret any disruption this action causes the travelling public, but after months of good-faith negotiation being stonewalled by company representatives, crews have been left with no choice but to stand up for a fair outcome.
Maritime Union of Australia
