Brisbane Ferry Strike Looms During Riverfire Event

Brisbane ferry workers will take 24-hour protected industrial action on Saturday 5 September, coinciding with Riverfire, after RiverCity Ferries refused to properly negotiate and instead moved to put a union-rejected Enterprise Agreement to a workforce vote. Members of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and Australian Maritime Officers Union (AMOU) have given RiverCity Ferries (RCF) notice of a 24-hour stoppage on Saturday 5 September, the night of Riverfire, one of Brisbane's biggest events of the year. The industrial action follows RCF advising the MUA and AMOU at bargaining on Tuesday 25 August that it intended to put its current proposed Enterprise Agreement directly to employees. The bosses' proposed Agreement has not been endorsed by either union, their delegates or members. It is a repeat of RCF's approach to the previous Agreement, which the company put to a ballot despite union opposition and which was subsequently rejected by 95.1 per cent of workers. The decision to take further industrial action has not been made lightly. It is the direct result of Brisbane City Council's ferry contractor RiverCity Ferries refusing to properly listen to the unions and delegates. Maritime Union of Australia, Queensland Branch Organiser Jaiden Simpson said "our members have been left with no alternative but to take protected industrial action," "RiverCity Ferries has been told loud and clear by its workforce that this is not good enough. More than 95% of members rejected the last deal, yet RCF has come back with essentially the same offer. "The company has had 17 opportunities to negotiate a decent agreement. Instead, it has chosen to ignore its workforce and try to force another rejected deal to a ballot. "Workers do not take strike action lightly, particularly on a major night like Riverfire. But RCF has left them with no alternative. "You cannot operate a safe and reliable ferry service while ignoring fatigue, eroding conditions and refusing to properly compensate the people doing the work." Mr Simpson said RCF needed to stop trying to bully workers into accepting substandard pay and conditions. "These workers operate in a shiftwork industry, performing long hours and a safety-critical public transport service. They deserve good wages, proper meal breaks, work-life balance rosters and genuine respect from their employer. "RCF bosses have chosen confrontation over negotiation," Mr Simpson said.