Public ferry workers on Brisbane's CityCat network are set to strike during Riverfire, the city's biggest annual fireworks event, halting services across one of its busiest nights. The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) will begin 24-hour industrial action from 4am on Saturday, following months of stalled pay negotiations with operator RiverCity Ferries, leaving up to half a million expected festival-goers without ferry access to the riverside celebrations.

The dispute between the MUA and RiverCity Ferries, which runs CityCat services in partnership with Brisbane City Council, has simmered since October and has already triggered sporadic strikes since 30 July. RiverCity Ferries' general manager accused the union of "spoiling the party" and disrupting travellers, while the union said it was seeking a three-year deal including a 6% first-year pay rise and improvements to fatigue management, work-life balance and meal breaks, insisting it was the company, not the union, failing to negotiate in good faith. Transport authority Translink confirmed there will be no river ferry services on Saturday, though island ferry routes will be unaffected, and urged travellers to use alternative transport for Riverfire, which opens the Brisbane Festival.