Industrial action will shut down Brisbane’s ferries on one of the city’s busiest nights, potentially leaving 27,000 partygoers scrambling.

A 24-hour strike will begin from 4am on Saturday — the day up to 500,000 people are expected to travel to the city, South Bank and other precincts along the Brisbane River for the Riverfire display that officially opens the Brisbane Festival.

Brisbane City Council was notified of the strike on Tuesday morning. Its public transport chair, Andrew Wines, said picking Riverfire weekend for the industrial action was “nothing but a stunt designed to cause maximum pain for maximum attention”.

“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,” Wines said.

“Tens of thousands of people just want to get into the city, enjoy the fireworks and get home safely.”

It is estimated more than 27,000 passengers took ferry trips to and from Riverfire last year, with Wines alleging Brisbane families were being “used as bargaining chips” in an ongoing dispute.

The Maritime Union of Australia and the Australian Maritime Officers Union have periodically shut down ferries for hours at a time since July 30, leading to confusion for passengers.

The workers operate Brisbane’s ferry services under contract to Brisbane City Council.

“My message to the union bosses is simple: Pull your heads in and call this strike off,” Wines said.

“Don’t ruin a great Brisbane night just to make a point.”

RiverCity Ferries, a subsidiary of Kelsian and Sealink that operates the Brisbane City Council ferries, has said it has offered a 4.75 per cent first year increase — above inflation — with further increases linked to the Fair Work Commission annual wage review.

In a statement, the MUA said 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,” MUA Queensland branch organiser Jaiden Simpson said.

“Instead, RiverCity Ferries wants workers to accept a substandard deal while dressing up legal minimums as though they are generous new benefits.”

The MUA has said it is seeking paid parental leave and a 6 per cent increase in the first year of a new agreement, followed by either 4.75 per cent or the FWC increase, depending on which is higher.

Members also want backpay since the expiry of the current agreement, which the union said would “discourage stonewalling and delay as a bosses’ bargaining tactic”.

The union said it was also seeking a 12-hour safety break between shifts to address fatigue, and an increase in meal breaks from 30 to 45 minutes.

Republished from InQueensland