On January 21, 2026, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and the union movement took action in solidarity with the workers on board Carnival Cruises. The union has been raising the alarm about the appalling conditions these workers face: filthy crew cabins, poverty wages, and endless working hours. All perfectly legal.
Splendor. Luminosa. Encounter. These are the names of the three Carnival Cruise ships currently homeported in Australia.
While they’re meant to evoke luxury and grandeur, they conceal a much grimmer reality: workers flown in from around the world, made to work under appalling conditions for next to nothing.
Unbearable working conditions
$2.50. That’s the hourly wage for a worker on board a Carnival ship operating in Australia. But being paid a fraction of the minimum wage is only the beginning.
According to workers who spoke to the MUA, some are putting in over 300 hours a month, that’s 9.5 hours a day, every single day of the week without breaks.
Some crew below deck report not seeing daylight for weeks at a time. While passengers enjoy luxury service, the part of the ship reserved for staff is left in disrepair. Even the drinking water is poor quality.
These working conditions are a form of modern-day exploitation, and they come at a cost to workers’ long-term physical and mental health.
Modern-day exploitation signed off by law
How does the biggest cruise company in the world manage to operate in Australian waters while dodging our labour laws?
The answer lies in a loophole. And it’s completely legal.
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🔴 The legal loophole Carnival relies on Here’s how it works: under the Coastal Trading Act, foreign-flagged ships travelling between Australian ports are supposed to hold a Temporary Licence. That licence would require them to pay their workers under Australian labour laws. But the law gives the Resources Minister (currently Madeleine King) the power to grant exemptions. And right now, all cruise ships are covered by that exemption.
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The result? Carnival Cruises doesn’t have to pay Australian wages or provide union protections. Instead, they apply international minimums, and those are scandalously low: $2.50 per hour.
And even though Carnival’s ships are based in Australia, they fly flags of convenience to dodge Australian labour standards.
Solidarity is growing
For months, the Maritime Union, backed by the entire union movement, has been denouncing these shameful conditions. After taking action at Sydney port, where one of Carnival’s ships regularly docks, the mobilisation ramped up in Melbourne, timed with the arrival of a second vessel for the Australian Open.
We were there to raise awareness among passengers and show our support for the MUA and the workers.
And we’ll keep showing up until the company sits down at the table and accepts a union agreement that protects its workforce.
MUA, here to stay!
Sign the petition!Help end exploitation on the Australian coast and stand in solidarity with workers.
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