Maritime Union of Australia - SNSW Branch

22/10/2026

All Southern NSW MUA members are required to attend our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Special Meeting of Members.
These meetings are a vital part of our Union's democratic process and provide members with the opportunity to have their voices heard on matters that affect our workplaces, our industry and the future direction of our Union.
The AGM allows members to receive reports on the activities of the Union, discuss priorities for the coming year, ask questions, and ensure the Union remains accountable to its membership. Strong member participation helps strengthen our collective voice and ensures decisions reflect the views of the membership.
Prior to the AGM, a Special Meeting of Members will be held to consider and, if thought appropriate, endorse proposed changes to the Rules of the Maritime Union of Australia Division. These proposed changes are important to the governance and operation of our Union, making member attendance and participation essential.
Meeting Details
Tuesday 8 December 2026
12:30pm
Dapto Ribbonwood Centre – Heininger Hall
93–109 Princes Highway, Dapto NSW 2530
This is your Union. Your voice matters. We encourage all members to attend, participate in the discussion, and help shape the future of our Union.
In Unity
Maritime Union of Australia
Southern NSW Branch

22/10/2026

Well done MUA SNSW member Charlotte Northey for volunteering in this month of action

18/10/2026

Vale Frank Bostick

Funeral details below

Vale Comrade Frank Bostick

The Sydney Branch were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sydney Branch Veteran and former delegate Frank Bostick last week.

Frank and his wife Kathy have been staunch Comrades of the MUA for many years. Frank was a highly respected wharfie, while Kathy worked with the MUA Credit Union and Unity Bank. Their son, Gavin, was also a long-serving Committee Member at Patrick’s Port Botany.

Frank’s funeral service will be held as follows:

Date: Monday, 19 October
Time: 10.00 am
Location: South Chapel Crematorium, Woronora Memorial Park, Sutherland

13/10/2026

Member join the MUA team and donate if you can

13/10/2026

Our ITF and MUA comrades around the Southern NSW Union rooms today while visiting Port Kembla/Wollongong harbour. OCTOBER INTENSIVE ACTION

12/10/2026

It was a great privilege to have known the late William Harvey (BUNTER) who was always seen in the Southern NSW union rooms volunteering his time into retirement and passing. A gentleman who has not been forgotten. The SNSW MUA boardroom and Galley, at St Georges Basin union school were also named after him in his honour.

24/09/2026

World Maritime Day in Sydney on Tuesday

Dear Members,

In just a week we will pause to commemorate World Maritime Day, an important date on the calendar for Maritime workers around the world.

We hope to see you at the Australian National Maritime Museum for our annual wreath laying ceremony, followed by lunch and drinks on the Terrace.

14/09/2026

AMSA has announced that Certificate of Safety Training (CoST) applications and revalidations will soon be available online through myAMSA.

This means seafarers will be able to apply or revalidate their CoST, upload supporting documents, pay the application fee and track their application online.
The win here is that this should streamline Revalidations as no more delays, and missing paperwork.

CoSTs will also move to digital certificates, which can be accessed through myAMSA, saved to your phone or device, added to a digital wallet or printed if required.

To use the new system, you will need a myID Digital ID with at least Standard identity strength and a myAMSA account.

Members should consider setting these up now so you are ready when the new online CoST system goes live.

We will keep members updated once AMSA confirms the online application system is available.

01/09/2026

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

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.

01/09/2026

Comrades,

In just under a month, we will pause to commemorate World Maritime Day, an important date on the calendar for Maritime workers around the world.

The Sydney Branch invites you to join us at the Australian National Maritime Museum for our annual wreath laying ceremony, followed by lunch and drinks on the Terrace.