Sydney Ferries workers take action over wages as Transdev fails to deliver a fair deal

Maritime Union of Australia

Sydney Ferries workers will take industrial action tomorrow as frustration grows over private operator Transdev’s failure to deliver a fair and sustainable wage offer to the committed and passionate workers who keep Sydney Harbour moving.

From 9am to 2pm on Wednesday 2 September, members of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) will stop work and assemble for a mass members’ meeting as part of escalating industrial action in their fight for a better Enterprise Agreement.

The action will impact ferry services across the Sydney network, including services operating to Manly, Circular Quay, Parramatta and other destinations.

MUA members are seeking a 5% wage increase, together with guaranteed annual increases in subsequent years that properly protect workers’ wages against inflation and the rising cost of living.

MUA Deputy Branch Secretary Paul Garrett said workers had repeatedly gone above and beyond to keep the Sydney Ferries network operating and were now demanding that Transdev recognise their contribution.

“Our members kept Sydney Ferries running throughout COVID, dealt with a fleet of 13 overseas-built and defect ridden vessels that were not fit for purpose, and have continued to work long and demanding hours to keep the public moving,” Mr Garrett said.

“They have always demonstrated their commitment to the job and to the travelling public, and they are now asking for a fair wage increase to catch up with the spiralling cost of living in this city,” Mr Garrett added.

Mr Garrett said Transdev had so far failed to put a serious wage proposal on the table. “Workers are determined to see a mechanism put in place that will ensure their pay keeps pace with inflation,” Garrett said.

“Sydney Ferries workers will not sign off on an agreement that whittles away their purchasing power year after year while the cost of living keeps going up,” he said.

The MUA said it regretted the disruption to commuters but placed responsibility for the industrial action squarely with Transdev’s failure to reach a fair agreement.

During the 2019 and 2022 enterprise bargaining processes, no industrial action was taken by Sydney Ferries workers because negotiations were productive and cooperative. The same spirit of cooperation towards good faith bargaining has not been adopted by Transdev’s bargaining team during these latest negotiations for the next enterprise agreement.

“Sydney Ferries workers do not take industrial action lightly, particularly when they know it affects the travelling public,” Mr Garrett said. “But our members have been pushed to this point. They are prepared to escalate this campaign until Transdev realises that its workforce deserves a fair deal.”

As a gesture of goodwill to commuters affected by the morning’s stoppage, Opal readers on Sydney Ferries will be switched off from 2pm for the remainder of the day, allowing passengers to travel on the ferry network without charge.

Mr Garrett said the dispute also highlighted the fundamental problem of putting an essential public transport service in the hands of a private operator.

“Sydney Ferries are an essential public service and they should be publicly owned and publicly operated,” he said.

“The community should not have to rely on a privately owned and operated multinational company like Transdev to decide whether the local workers who operate Sydney’s iconic ferries deserve a decent wage.”

The MUA warned that further and potentially indefinite industrial action could follow if Transdev continues to refuse to make a serious offer.

Paul Garret - MUA Sydney Deputy Branch Secretary: 0418 422 589