Sydney Ferries workers are escalating their industrial campaign against Transdev, the foreign-owned multinational private operator running Sydney Ferries services, with Opal card readers to be switched off across the network for almost four weeks.
As part of ongoing industrial action, members of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) will switch off Opal card readers from Friday 11 September through to Tuesday 6 October, allowing passengers to travel on Sydney Ferries without paying a fare.
The action follows previous stoppages by ferry workers in their fight for a fair Enterprise Agreement and comes as Transdev continues to fail to put a serious wage offer on the table.
MUA Deputy Branch Secretary Paul Garrett said workers had demonstrated their commitment to the Sydney Ferries network time and again, and were now prepared to escalate their campaign until Transdev delivered a fair deal.
"Even limited overtime bans have already disrupted several services, reinforcing the union's concerns that Transdev relies too heavily on overtime and ferry workers forgoing their days off just to keep Sydney Ferries running."
"Our members kept Sydney moving through COVID, worked through the problems created by a fleet of overseas-built vessels that were not fit for purpose, and continue to work long, demanding and highly skilled jobs every day," Mr Garrett said.
"They have done their part for Sydney. Now Transdev needs to do its part and deliver a fair wage increase that recognises the work these workers actually perform."
Mr Garrett said the decision to switch off Opal readers was a significant but necessary escalation of the union's industrial campaign.
"Workers are taking action against Transdev, not against the people of Sydney," he said.
"If ferry workers cannot get a proper payrise, there is no need for passengers to pay anything!" Mr Garrett said.
"By switching off Opal readers, our members are making sure commuters are not out of pocket because of this dispute. For nearly four weeks, ferry passengers will be able to get where they need to go without paying a fare."
The MUA said Transdev, as a foreign-owned multinational private operator, had a responsibility to negotiate seriously with the workers who keep its Sydney operations running.
"Transdev is a private multinational making money from an essential public transport service," Mr Garrett said.
"It is completely reasonable for the workers who operate that service to expect their wages to keep pace with the cost of living and to be properly recognised for their skills and responsibilities."
The union said the dispute demonstrated the fundamental problems created when essential public transport infrastructure is handed over to private operators.
"Sydney Ferries are a public service. They are part of the infrastructure that keeps this city functioning, and they should be publicly owned and operated in the public interest," Mr Garrett said.
"Instead, Sydney has a foreign-owned multinational private company sitting between the government, the travelling public and the workers who actually deliver the service."
The MUA said ferry workers would continue escalating their campaign if Transdev failed to reach a genuine agreement.
"Our members have shown enormous patience, but patience has limits," Mr Garrett said.
"We are giving Transdev every opportunity to come back with a serious offer. If they continue to refuse to properly recognise their workforce, our members will continue to turn up the pressure."
The MUA said the union remained committed to securing a fair Enterprise Agreement that delivered real wage growth, protected workers against inflation and properly recognised the skills and commitment of Sydney's ferry workforce.
