Union, DP World in talks on ports
‘Unofficial’ bid for deal
The Maritime Union of Australia and DP World are in “unofficial” negotiations with the Fair Work Commission to try to resolve the ongoing ports dispute ahead of their first meetings with Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke.
Industrial action at DP World terminals is estimated by the nation’s second-biggest stevedore to have cost the nation more than $84m a week.
While the fact that Mr Burke has finally agreed to meet with DP World is considered a positive by the industry, many expressed concerns that Anthony Albanese had already chosen a side after the Prime Minister said the foreign-owned company makes “considerable profits”.
“He would be facing political pressure to say that,” said Melbourne-based State Transport and Warehousing managing director Albert Cenusa.
“I imagine he would be somewhat biased.”
The dispute is gearing up to be the worst in the nation’s ports in more than a decade. The fight is over pay and rostering, and the wishes of the MUA to bring DP World enterprise bargaining agreements in line with rival stevedores, so that multi-employer bargaining applies.
The union is frustrated that DP World workers receive significantly less than workers at Patrick, and has asked for a two-year deal with a 16 per cent pay rise, which would still mean the workers would earn less than those employed by the larger rival.
DP World has rejected the offer on the basis that Patrick is far more productive due to greater port automation, with Oceania vice-president Nicolaj Noes saying the idea of all workers receiving the same pay across similar companies “didn’t work out that well” in the Soviet Union and North Korea.
The ports dispute puts front and centre the conflict between a union-backed Labor government that wants to support workers rights, and the productivity of Australia as the cost-of-living crisis escalates.
Australian Logistics Council chief executive Hermione Parsons said it was a positive that the government was now at least wading into the conflict.
“We asked for the government to be involved,” Dr Parsons said. “We have been very concerned about the duration and the impact on the end-toend supply chain, and we are encouraged that the Prime Minister is now involved and that the government is now involved.”
Mr Noes is meeting in person with MUA assistant national secretary Adrian Evans and the FWC and is expected to put forward a new pay deal to try to end the port crisis.
But whether the two parties reach an agreement remains to be seen given their ideologically opposed stances.
If an agreement is not reached, Mr Noes is expected to ask Mr Burke to create a mechanism for disputes that affect the whole economy to be resolved more quickly than the current regime, with the FWC currently only able to step in after nine months of industrial action.