Ferry workers to strike during Riverfire, as pay deal grinds to a halt

September 1, 2026 — 4:43pmFerries will not run during Riverfire this weekend, with unionists scheduling a 24-hour strike to align with the event in and around the Brisbane CBD.Workers have been in protracted negotiations over pay and conditions with their employer, RiverCity Ferries, which is contracted by Brisbane City Council.Maritime unions have been running peak-hour strikes on days throughout July and August, then upped the ante last Friday, when they called their first 24-hour action.Ferry and CityCat workers have been striking since July. Felicity CaldwellThe unions told the council on Tuesday they intended to strike on Saturday to align with Riverfire.It sparked uproar from the council’s public transport spokesperson, Councillor Andrew Wines, who deemed the strike “an absolute disgrace”.“Picking Riverfire weekend is nothing but a stunt designed to cause maximum pain for maximum attention,” he said.“My message to the union bosses is simple: pull your heads in and call this strike off.”Ferries are usually paused during the festivities, with services ending at 6.15pm last year and not running again until after the fireworks.The council said 27,000 people rode ferries at Riverfire in 2025.The Maritime Union of Australia and the Australian Maritime Officers Union have met with RiverCity Ferries 17 times in a bid to resolve the dispute.They are seeking a 6 per cent pay rise next year, followed by at least 4.7 per cent the following year, along with a longer meal break and at least 12 hours between shifts.A RiverCity spokesperson said the unions were being unreasonable.“Since negotiations began nine months ago, RiverCity Ferries has shown good faith by increasing its offer for wage rises and proposed alternative workplace conditions and rostering that were developed following employee consultation,” a spokesperson said.In a statement last Friday, MUA Queensland branch organiser Jaiden Simpson laid the blame at the council’s feet.“Brisbane City Council cannot contract out its responsibility for decent work. If council wants a world-class ferry service, it needs to ensure the workers delivering that service get treated fairly,” he said.Council’s Labor opposition deputy leader, Lucy Collier, agreed.“The people of Brisbane are paying the price and will be left stranded at Riverfire because the LNP in Brisbane City Council have failed to sort this out after weeks of strikes from fed-up ferry workers,” she said.“It’s clear that contractors are worse off than council employees.”Public transport was a mess at last year’s Riverfire, with dangerous crowd crushes and hours-long waits reported.This year, the council said it was prepared, with five times more buses scheduled and back-up buses at the ready should crowds grow.More than half a million people are expected to converge on lookouts around the city for the air show and fireworks, and Queensland Rail has also said it has scheduled 80 extra services for the night.The joint union has been contacted for further comment.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.From our partners