The Maritime Union of Australia has agreed to withdraw an extensive series of strikes and stoppages at Patrick Terminal after the stevedore lodged an application with the Fair Work Commission to terminate the strikes.
News was just received at 17:57 on Wednesday 10 November 2021.
Patrick lodged its application with the Fair Work Commission on Monday to terminate the MUA’s programme of rolling industrial action. In a statement released on Monday, Patrick Terminals reported that the MUA had launched more than 220 industrial actions against Patrick across the nation.
Michael Jovicic, CEO, Patrick Terminals said, “Since May, our terminals have faced an unrelenting barrage of ongoing industrial action by the MUA that has impacted all terminal users including importers, exporters and shipping lines.
Delays are escalating and we have continually pleaded with the MUA to negotiate without the need for damaging industrial action. The past two years have been particularly challenging for all parties across the supply chain and the industrial action is impacting Australia’s COVID economic recovery.
”For the sake of our economy, we need to get our supply chains working efficiently again and the ongoing industrial action is definitely not in the best interests of Australia’s recovery.”
As part of the termination process, Patrick Terminals and the union both attended conciliations sessions. The outcome today was that the MUA has agreed to undertake with the Fair Work Commission that all notified and ongoing industrial action will be withdrawn, effective from this afternoon with no further action to be notified before 10 December 2021.
“It is about time that this dispute is brought to a close and that Australian businesses and Australian families are not forced to continue to suffer,” said Shipping Australia CEO, Captain Melwyn Noronha.
