An application to the Fair Work Commission by container terminal operator Patrick Terminals to terminate industrial action is strongly supported by Shipping Australia.
“Any disruption to trade at our ports causes harm to Australian businesses, consumers and our broader economy”, Shipping Australia chief executive officer Rod Nairn said. “This round of waterfront industrial action during a global pandemic and a national economic crisis is reckless, grossly irresponsible and utterly inappropriate.
“When our fellow Australians are losing their jobs and are desperately anxious about how they can pay their bills, this selfish industrial action is out of step with current reality. Most of Patrick’s workers are already earning at least $150,000 per year for 180 days of work. A lot of Australians would be very pleased to have such an opportunity.
“Australia’s container trade is vital to our economy and container terminals are the key node in that trade. The current industrial restrictions in place at Patrick have reduced container movements by around 40 per cent and ships’ waiting time for a berth at Port Botany is up to about 18 days. Ships cannot afford to wait this long, so the result is that ships are now bypassing New South Wales and some imports are being delayed by weeks. This doesn’t work for modern just-in-time supply chains.
“And the long-term damage to our economy is even worse. With a log jam of containers and slow work rates causing export containers to be left behind on the wharf Australia is made to look like an unreliable supplier. This could adversely affect our future exports because our current customers will look elsewhere for reliable supply.
“It takes a long time to build a reputation for reliability but only weeks to destroy it. This industrial action must end, and it must end now,” Nairn concluded.
