Notice of a new Protected Industrial Action banning the performance of work on all ships has been given by the Maritime Union of Australia to DPWA.
The new industrial action runs from December to early January and affects the DPWA terminal in Fremantle.
Work restrictions include; various bans on employees working on tasks above their normal grade, overtime, shift extensions, accepting late call-ins and ceasing advanced or delayed start times.
“DPWA management regrets the impact this has on our customers’ business… DPWA remains committed to reaching a new Enterprise Agreement that delivers improved productivity and we will keep you updated as we progress,” the stevedore said in a statement.
The industrial action will be as follows:
- Ban on the performance of work on all vessels from 6am on 25 December until 2pm on 27 December;
- Ban on the performance of work on all vessels from 10pm on 27 December until 10pm on 28 December;
- Ban on the performance of work on all vessels on day shift from 6am from 29 December for indefinite period;
- Ban on the performance of work on all vessels from 2pm on 1 January until 2pm on 2 January.
“This selfish holiday plan of industrial action by the MUA is disrupting all the other workers who are on the job over Christmas and is exacerbating shortages of goods and congestion of the container chain”, Shipping Australia CEO, Rod Nairn said.
“It is certainly not in the spirit of true enterprise bargaining, but shows how broken the industrial relations system is and how the MUA is top of the list of unions out of step with modern societal values.
“These union bosses are architects of their own members’ demise. They are in effect forcing stevedores to invest in automation to replace an unreliable workforce”, he concluded.
