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- The maritime union and the ferries’ private operator Birdon have been in pay negotiations for six months<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The union is calling for workers to be paid $46 an hour, to match traffic controllers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Last week a series of one-hour strikes affected several river crossings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The Maritime Union of Australia says the Mortlake Creek and Webbs Creek services will cease operations between 6:30am and 9:30am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Berowra Waters and Sackville services will stop between 2:00pm and 5:00pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The industrial action comes after a series of one-hour strikes affected services last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the union Birdon Management said it would pay not a cent more than the legal minimum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“To not offer workers any wage increase at all in a cost-of-living crisis is unacceptable and leaves the workers with no choice but to escalate,” union organiser Shane Reside said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Reside says wage rises from the Fair Work Commission have not met the cost of living.(ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n “The best outcome for the community is for the Government to fix this mess by getting rid of these bottom-feeding contractors scavenging the public purse for profit and take responsibility for the workers directly,” the maritime union’s Sydney branch secretary Paul Keating said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A spokesperson for Birdon said they were unable to comment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Contracted cable drawn ferry operators are paid in accordance with the applicable award rates as in the Ports, Harbours and Enclosed Water Vessels Award,” said a spokesperson for Transport for NSW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Those ferry operators received a pay increase of about 5.7% in July 2023 in line with increases to the award rates set by Fair Work, with an additional pay increase to award rates forecast for July 2024.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One-hour strikes affected services last week.(ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Mr Reside said the wage increases barely met the rising cost of living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Even though those increases have come through these workers in effect got a pay cut against the cost of living,” Mr Reside said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The union is calling for ferry operators to be paid $46 an hour, up from $29 an hour, bringing them into line with traffic controllers who often assist operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Transport for NSW advised motorists to take alternative routes during the industrial action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The transport authority said emergency services would not be affected by the disruption and would still be able to cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taking an alternative southbound route instead of the Webbs Creek ferry will add an estimated 50 minutes to journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sackville Ferry stoppage will add 20 minutes to journey times<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Closure of the Mortlake Ferry will force commuters into traffic on the Ryde Bridge 10 minutes away. The Mortlake-Putney service doesn’t operate between 9:30 am and 2:55pm, meaning the strike effectively stops all services until the afternoon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sackville and Berowra Waters ferries can carry 15 vehicles, while the Mortlake service takes 18 and the Webbs Creek ferry takes can take 24 in one crossing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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