Around 2,000 passengers meant to be boarding a Disney Wonder cruise ship bound for Hobart have been left disappointed after their weekend trip was cancelled due to “protected industrial action“.
TasPorts say they were “deeply disappointed” to learn that the ship, which was scheduled to arrive in the capital at 8:15am on Sunday with close to 3,000 people onboard, would not be setting sail.
“While TasPorts respects the right for pilots to take protected industrial action, we have been public with our concerns regarding the devastation this causes to customers, communities and the Tasmanian economy,” a spokesperson said.
“TasPorts understands passengers would be very disappointed, having likely booked the cruise with Hobart in mind, given it was the only port call on the sail.”
Pilots are taking action over pay and a refusal to adopt the state-owned company’s electric vehicle policy.
Chief Executive Officer Anthony Donald has previously said that he held “significant concerns” over the industrial action, which he says follows a round of negotiations that included a 12% salary increase over three years (5%, 3.5%, 3.5%) and a $47,500 vehicle for full private use and fuel.
“TasPorts is focused on safe and reliable operations and is deeply concerned the threat of escalating action directly undermines this, and has urged the Australian Maritime Officer Union (AMOU) to continue negotiations with a view to achieving a fair and reasonable outcome,” he said.
