PRIME Minister Scott Morrison on Monday said it is important that “we don’t allow the unions on the wharfs to do the wrong thing” during a press conference in St Marys NSW.
The Prime Minister was talking about disruptions in the global supply chain and discussions he had on the subject with US President Joe Biden.
“At the G20, one of the most important sessions was convened by President Biden, and that was looking at the security and the volatility in supply chains,” Mr Morrison said.
“I was highlighting the need for critical, critical minerals, rare earths and supply chains that go into building this new technology.”
Mr Morrison said we are seeing disruptions around the world.
“Whether it be on our wharfs, and that’s why it’s very important that we don’t allow the unions on the wharfs to do the wrong thing by our farmers and our manufacturers who need critical supplies coming in and they need critical exports going out,” he said.
Shipping Australia, which represents the interests of Australia’s international ocean shipping industries, Welcomed the Prime Minster’s statements.
SAL CEO Melwyn Noronha said uninterrupted trade is vital to the interests of all Australians.
“Ultimately, this union-induced disruption hurts the Australian economy, which means it hurts everyday Australians. It’s about time that there is a sustainable solution to these frequent, repeated and ongoing disputes on the waterfront,” he said.
“There needs to be some controls so that waterfront disputes are sensibly resolved in a speedy timeframe.”
The Maritime Union of Australia and the country’s biggest container stevedore, Patrick, have been locked in protracted negotiations for a new enterprise bargaining agreement.
Throughout the bargaining period, which has been ongoing since February 2020 and the union has been carrying out industrial action that has disrupted the flow of goods through ports since 4 September 2020.
However, last week, the union withdrew all its notices for protected industrial action at Patrick terminals.
