Wharfies across ten Australian ports will strike in an International Day of Action in response to Qube Ports’ “refusal to bargain genuinely” according to the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA).
The industrial action will see the wharfies joined by representatives of the international dockers movement via live video conference across Australia.
The MUA says the ASX-listed company has “refused to sit down and genuinely negotiate a new agreement with their workforce”.
Key to the industrial action is the current nature of when wharfies find out when they are working. The MUA says workers are often required to work within eight hours of the conclusion of their last shift and are often not informed of shift times until 4pm the day before.
“Qube has one clear objective here, which is to trigger intractable bargaining provisions within Australian industrial relations law so they can avoid participating in genuine negotiation,” Deputy National Secretary of the MUA Warren Smith says.
“Their end goal is to get an arbitrated outcome which they believe will be better for the bottom line.”
Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says Qube’s negotiations with workers in Australia will have an impact across the Tasman.
“Qube is now operating in New Zealand ports, and Qube management need to be aware their actions in Australia will have consequences for their international brand and credibility,” Findlay says.
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