Australia - Wharfies' strike action cancelled

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May 27

Video: MUA lifts industrial action (Lateline)

The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) will meet with port workers in Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle this morning to call off industrial action.

Workers are fighting for an 18 per cent pay rise over three years, but stevedoring company Patrick is not budging on its offer of 5 per cent.

The MUA says it will meet members today and suggest they return to full duties, after embarking on a week-long industrial action campaign.

The union's deputy national secretary, Mick Doleman, says the action was never intended to shut down the ports and concerns from rural exporters have prompted the MUA to lift its limited work bans.

Union representatives will this morning discuss with their members continuing pay negotiations.

Earlier on Thursday, Patrick predicted the crippling industrial action would cost the company $8 million and set its operations back up to two months.

Spokesman Paul Garaty said the 18 per cent pay increase demand would cost an extra $32,000 a year per worker, which was not viable as the union was not offering any productivity increases.

The dispute has affected 26 ships nationwide.

He said the industrial action could not come at a worse time for the mining industry as one of the ships off Fremantle was packed with tyres.

He said there was a worldwide shortage of rubber and mining companies were relying on the tyres to ensure their operations run smoothly.

The union had rejected an offer from Patrick to enter into voluntary conciliation and arbitration before Fair Work Australia on a new enterprise bargaining agreement, saying the offer amounted to double standards.

Mr Doleman said Patrick's offer was just a case of the company trying to save face in the media.

"We put to Patrick in our enterprise agreement that we would have conciliation and arbitration on all matters during the life of the agreement, where we can't take protected industrial action and we will arbitrate on every matter," he said.

"They refused that on every occasion. Now, for media and for other purposes they want to have arbitration and conciliation.

"We say no, we're not entertaining that. We will go to the bargaining table and we will negotiate within the frames and the laws of Fair Work Australia."

Friday, 27 May 2011

Posted: 11 months 3.1 weeks ago
Tags: Australia, ISF, ESF, Strike

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