Brisbane ferry drivers strike again for pay rise
Brisbane ferry drivers walked off the job for the third time in three months on Wednesday.
Ferry drivers began their 72-hour strike early to express their anger over what they said was a lack of job security and low wages.
Transdev, which operates ferries on behalf of Brisbane City Council, apologised for disruptions and warned commuters to avoid the river on Wednesday and Thursday.
Jason Miners of the Maritime Union of Australia called on Brisbane lord mayor Graham Quirk to intervene in negotiations.
"Workers' take-home pay has gone back over the past few years, rosters have changed, they are being treated appallingly by management, pushed to work unsafe boats and are not valued for the great work they do," he said.
"They have just had enough. They have been pushed into a corner and want to go hard.
"We just want the parties to agree to a fair agreement that sees their cost of living made a bit easier, we want to deliver a pay rise to these workers."
Transdev Queensland managing director Tilly Loughborough said CityCat services would run at a significantly reduced frequency from Wednesday through to Friday.
“The longer the unions choose to stop work, the harder it is for our team to cover services and keep people moving on the Brisbane River,” she said.
Ferry drivers staged a two-day strike and a one-day strike in December.
A planned strike earlier this month was abandoned.
The strike will run from 4am on Wednesday to 4am on Friday. A rally will be held next to the Hawthorne ferry terminal from 7am on Wednesday.