Carnival Pays Crew $2.50 Per Hour?!
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The Maritime Union Australia has launched a public campaign against Carnival Cruise Line Australia, claiming that some of its international crew earn as little as $2.50 an hour.
Under the Coastal Trading Act, these cruise lines typically operate under a ministerial exemption, which means they can operate domestic voyages without obtaining a license and without needing to adhere to fair work requirements.
For many crew, this represents more money than they could earn at home and also gives them an opportunity to save for a better life at home, especially for their families.
Carnival of course has strongly rejected the union's claims. They released a statement. This is not reflective of Carnival, which in contrast has a culture of respect with its thousands of shipboard team members from over 150 countries.
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There’s been a lot of noise this week around claims made by the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), specifically targeting Carnival Cruise Line and alleging that international cruise ship crew are being paid as little as $2.50 an hour while working in Australian waters. In this video, I take a calm, fact-based look at those claims - what’s being said, what the law actually allows, and how cruise ship employment works in practice. We’ll unpack: • Where the $2.50 per hour figure comes from • How cruise ship crew are paid under international maritime contracts • Why Australian minimum wage laws do not apply to most cruise ships • The role of the Coastal Trading Act 2012 and current government exemptions • What international labour standards (ILO / IMO) require cruise lines to provide • Carnival’s response to the claims • And why this is a broader industry-wide issue, not one unique to Carnival This video is not an attack on crew, unions, or cruisers. It’s an attempt to add context and clarity to a complex and emotional topic that’s currently generating a lot of headlines. Cruise ship crew work incredibly hard to deliver the holidays many of us enjoy, and they deserve to be treated with respect - both onboard and in the way this conversation is handled publicly. As always, I encourage respectful discussion in the comments. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 🛳️ My website hosts one of the world's most powerful cruise search engines where you can research and even book your next cruise or land holiday. Take a look here: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 🛒 Shop my Amazon Cruise Essentials here: https://www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au/cruise-essentials - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 🤳🏼 Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: www.facebook.com/thecruiseandtravelguy www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy Music by Master Planned Music 0:00 Introduction 1:10 What the Union Claims 1:56 Not Just Carnival 2:28 Coastal Trading Act 2:52 International Contracts 4:15 Carnival’s Response 5:08 Billionaire Owner? 5:57 My Experience 7:15 What does the Union Want?