Australian port union leaders must get real
The worsening industrial situation at Australia’s ports has prompted the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) to call on maritime union leaders to “get real” and abandon their “excessive and unsustainable wage and condition claims”.
Industrial strife has seen the Maritime Union of Australia escalate action at Patrick Container Terminals with stoppages and overtime and shift extension bans, after failure to reach agreement on a new enterprise agreement.
At the same time, towage strikes have been called by members of the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers on Svitzer Australia tugs, again over enterprise agreement terms.
The ALC has now stepped in to say the wave of strike action threatens the efficiency of Australia’s supply chains.
“Every day the MUA’s unwarranted action at Patrick’s Container Terminals continues, Australia suffers,” said ALC chief executive Michael Kilgariff. “The MUA’s unrealistic claims are damaging the national economy to the tune of at least A$40m a day.”
Mr Kilgariff says the flow-on effects from this industrial action will impact on every sector reliant on an efficient port sector.
“Putting at risk port supply chain efficiency is highly irresponsible when the claims underpinning them are extreme and would not pass your everyday ‘pub test’,” he said.
