Ferry strike: free rides for all during peak hours

Travel on Sydney ferries will be free during peak hours next week as part of a long-running industrial dispute over salaries and conditions.
Ticket sellers will not collect fares between 7am and 9am and 5pm to 7pm from Monday to Friday.
The Maritime Union of Australia's Sydney branch assistant secretary, Paul Garrett, said the union would avoid inconvenience to the community, while making a point to the state government and the private operator of Sydney Ferries, Harbour City Ferries.
He said the union has met with the company 24 times in six months without resolution.
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“Employees at Harbour City Ferries are absolutely committed to getting people to and from home in a timely and comfortable manner. But we simply cannot stand idly by as the government refuses appropriate investment in the fleet.
"We have successfully fought cuts to wages by $500 a week in real terms, but cannot secure a wage increase for ferry workers to meet inflation," Mr Garrett said.
Steffen Faurby, CEO of Harbour City Ferries, said the unions needed to "work with us to live within our means and remain competitive".
"Unions need to get real about their demands," he said. "On the one hand they want to protect jobs and at the same time they expect wage increases for people who are already paid 30 to 50 per cent above the standard rate."