Brisbane's ferry workers to go on strike during Riverfire

Attendees at Brisbane's Riverfire will have to grapple with transport woes this weekend, as ferry workers confirm they will stop work for 24 hours on Saturday.The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) said its latest industrial action will fall on Saturday, the same day as Brisbane's annual fireworks display.It's the latest episode in a long-running pay dispute between MUA and RiverCity Ferries, which runs ferry and CityCat services along the Brisbane River in partnership with the Brisbane City Council (BCC).The Maritime Union of Australia has been in pay negotiations with operator RiverCity Ferries since October last year. (ABC News: Giulio Saggin)Workers will walk off the job at 4am on Saturday morning.Pay negotiations between the parties have been taking place since October last year, and MUA ferry workers have been undertaking work stoppages of varying lengths since July 30.The BCC has condemned the move to conduct the action on the day of Riverfire.Strike could affect 27,000Up to half a million people are expected to travel to major precincts along the river on Saturday evening for the Riverfire display, which officially opens the Brisbane Festival.About 27,000 people used Brisbane ferry services to travel to Riverfire last year.About half-a-million people are expected to travel to river precincts for Riverfire on Saturday. (ABC News: Christopher Gillette)General manager of RiverCity Ferries Paul Rigby said the union was planning to "spoil the party"."Riverfire is one of the biggest nights on the Brisbane calendar, a time for family and friends to come together and celebrate along the waterway that shapes and serves the city," he said."The unions should stop this selfish and unnecessary disruption to what should be a day of celebration."Mr Rigby called on the union to scrap the planned action."We value our hard-working staff and have worked to put a strong offer on the table for them. "But unions are planning to spoil the party and disrupt the plans of tens of thousands of travellers for the sake of their protracted and unreasonable industrial campaign."'An absolute disgrace'MUA organiser Jaiden Simpson said the union acknowledged council's concerns about the timing but denied council allegations it was trying to "ruin" Riverfire."We would deny that wholeheartedly, and in fact I would say that RiverCity Ferries haven't meaningfully engaged with the unions or the delegates or their workforce for the past 17 meetings," Mr Simpson said.He said the union had a range of concerns that had not been addressed by the operator."Fatigue management, work-life balance, meal break provisions, obviously salary and superannuation are to be addressed, but a range of other conditions RiverCity Ferries has chosen not to address at all," he said.Jaiden Simpson says RiverCity Ferries proposed an offer to workers that wasn't endorsed by the MUA. (ABC News: Lottie Twyford)Mr Simpson said the latest offer was equal to the Fair Work Commission's annual wage increase. He said the MUA is seeking a three-year agreement with a six per cent pay rise in the first year, with subsequent increases yet to be decided on.In a statement, BCC's chair for public transport Andrew Wines criticised what he described as "a stunt designed to cause maximum pain".Andrew Wines says the planned industrial action is "an absolute disgrace". (ABC News)"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," Councillor Wines said.He said the union hadn't given members time to vote on the latest offer by RiverCity Ferries.Mr Simpson rejected that claim, and said members voted for strike action after RiverCity Ferries last week put out an offer that wasn't endorsed by the union for voting to open this weekend."We haven't chosen to do this lightly, and our membership in the union does not want to … proceed with this industrial action," Mr Simpson said."But ultimately we've been left with no choice simply for the fact of RiverCity Ferries not negotiating in good faith or generally hearing out the concerns of their workforce."Deputy leader of the Labor council opposition Lucy Collier said the council had "failed to sort this out" ahead of Riverfire and workers were paying the price."Instead of attacking workers, the people of Brisbane just want Brisbane's Lord Mayor to step up and be a leader to get these workers a fair deal and get ferries and CityCats back on the river," Councillor Collier said.Mr Simpson said there was not yet any further action planned beyond Saturday's stoppage.