Brisbane ferry workers have taken 24-hour protected industrial action after RiverCity Ferries refused to properly negotiate over wages, fatigue, meal breaks and basic workplace conditions.
Members of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and Australian Maritime Officers Union (AMOU) took 24-hour protected industrial action on Thursday 27 August, with further industrial action to follow.
The workers operate Brisbane's ferry services under contract to Brisbane City Council, performing safety-critical work that keeps the city's public transport network moving.
After 17 bargaining meetings, RiverCity Ferries has declared its latest Enterprise Agreement offer “final” and is attempting to put it to a workforce vote, despite the proposal not being endorsed by the MUA, AMOU, delegates or members.
MUA Queensland Branch Organiser Jaiden Simpson said ferry workers were standing up for basic standards that should be non-negotiable in a safety-critical industry.
“These workers keep Brisbane's ferries moving every day of the year, through heat, storms, weekends and public holidays. They carry responsibility for the safety of passengers and vessels, and they deserve to be treated with respect.
“Instead, RiverCity Ferries wants workers to accept a substandard deal while dressing up legal minimums as though they are generous new benefits.
“That is not bargaining. It is an attempt to bulldoze the workforce and undermine the collective voice of workers who have spent months trying to negotiate a fair agreement.
“The MUA will not stand by while fatigue and unsafe working arrangements are treated as someone else's problem. If RiverCity Ferries wants its ferries operating safely, it needs to start listening to the workers who actually operate them.”
Workers are demanding basic improvements consistent with the cost of living and critical safety concerns:
- 6 per cent in Year One, followed by 4.75 per cent or the Fair Work Commission increase, whichever is greater.
- Backpay from the expiry of the current Agreement, to discourage stonewalling and delay as a bosses’ bargaining tactic.
- Paid parental leave.
- Proper protections for heat and inclement weather.
- A 12-hour break between shifts to address fatigue.
- An increase in the meal break from 30 to 45 minutes, ensuring workers receive their full break.
Workers currently receive only around 10 hours and five minutes between shifts, while irregular rosters require them to work multiple start times and locations.
Meal breaks are another major concern. Although workers are nominally provided a 30-minute meal break, only around 20 minutes is guaranteed, because crew changes must take place within that period.
A 45-minute break would allow crews to complete the necessary changeover and board every third ferry, providing workers with a genuine meal break without disrupting services.
RiverCity Ferries’ “final offer” is not good enough
RCF's current offer provides 4.75 per cent in the first year, followed by the Fair Work Commission increase in subsequent years.
The company is also presenting existing legal entitlements as workplace benefits, including National Employment Standards requirements and the five weeks' annual leave entitlement for shift workers.
The MUA Queensland Branch says Brisbane City Council must also take responsibility for the conditions being imposed on workers employed to deliver a public transport service on its behalf.
Mr Simpson said, “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.
“RiverCity Ferries has had 17 opportunities to negotiate. Instead, it has chosen to draw a line in the sand.
“The workers are drawing one too. We will continue taking action until RCF gets serious about bargaining.”
The MUA stands with Brisbane ferry workers fighting for decent wages, safe rosters, proper breaks and respect at work.
