WITH LITTLE evident impact from current protected industrial action, and no Fair Work Commission hearing scheduled until 31 January, the AMOU and AIMPE will escalate disruption of Smit Lamnalco towage in Gladstone from next Wednesday [22 January].
The unions notified the company of the ramped-up PIA* yesterday, although at the time they were not aware of the FWC granting an initial hearing between the parties to the dispute.
Last night AMOU industrial officer Tracey Ellis told DCN towage would continue in the port “but hopefully the overtime bans, and other little actions, will put a bit more pressure on [SL] to resolve things without hurting any stakeholders.
“Smit Lamnalco is still not taking its employees’ claims seriously, so we notified the company of further bans today. The bargaining dispute that Smit Lamnalco filed has not been listed in the Fair Work Commission yet, but we expect to see the decision makers at the table when we get in there.”
SL MD Australia & PNG, David Fethers, this afternoon said the company had just issued a customer update: “In short, while the initial rounds of protected industrial action caused minimal disruption to port movements, the unions’ response to our workaround strategies has been an escalation in action.
“These new measures are expected to have a more significant impact on shipping schedules,” Mr Fethers said. “While it is difficult to fully assess the impact of the new bans given their complexity, on face value, these measures are expected to lead to more significant shipping delays starting Wednesday, 22 January. We continue to monitor the situation closely and are actively managing resources to mitigate disruptions where possible.
“On the FWC front, we finally received confirmation today that Commissioner Hunt has been allocated to our application, and an initial conference has been scheduled for 31 January – in another 14 days’ time. While we’re encouraged by this step, the delay only gives the unions additional time to disrupt operations. Given the urgency of the situation and the impact on port operations, such delays hinder the resolution process and exacerbate the challenges faced by all stakeholders.
“Although this process is undoubtedly tedious, standing firm against union demands of this nature is what gives Smit Lamnalco a critical edge. Our commitment to flexible manning models allows us to maintain lean and efficient operations, which directly translates to reduced towage costs for our customers.
“For example, the cost of towage for a capesize vessel in Gladstone is approximately 40% cheaper than the equivalent service in Newcastle.
“This significant price advantage wouldn’t be possible without defending our operational structure and the broader industry from union-driven attempts to inflate costs,” Mr Fethers said.
“It’s this discipline and fortitude that not only protects our customers from excessive costs but also ensures the competitiveness of the ports where we operate.”
In his message to customers, Mr Fethers said “Disappointingly, the Acting Chief Executive of the AMOU has also publicly stated that there would be little point in Fair Work-conciliated bargaining unless Smit Lamnalco substantially increases its wage offer.
“Such an attitude undermines the very purpose of conciliation, which is to bring parties together to find an amicable solution. This rhetoric is unhelpful and does little to advance meaningful dialogue.
“Separately, we are in communication with several federal politicians, including the Shadow Minister for Workplace and Industrial Relations and Queensland Senators, to brief them on the impacts of the industrial action. Their support has been encouraging and is proving useful in advocating for intervention and reform.”
*In addition to the earlier bans (DCN 8 January), the following actions will commence from 0001 Wednesday 22 January 2025 and end 2359 Wednesday 5 February 2025.
- A ban on performing work outside a Master’s rostered hours.
- A ban on any work on Secondary Tugs other than for towage, emergency maintenance, or circumstances where crew are required to respond to direction/s by the Regional Harbour Master or Australian Maritime Safety Authority to attend to a potential or actual emergency operation/s.
- A ban on working more than 5 hours duration without taking a meal break of at least 30 Minutes duration; if a towage job commences before the 5th hour of work, Masters will take a meal break of at least 30 minutes duration at the completion of the towage job.
- A ban on the performance of any duty (including towage), with the exception of dockings, on a tug not designated as the Master’s rostered tug.
- A ban on the performance of any duty (including towage) on a tug that is not designated as one of the 4 Primary and 6 Secondary vessels.
- A ban on shutting down a tug for any shift other than the Master’s own rostered tug.
- A ban on performing extended maintenance.
- A ban on the performance of maintenance, bunkers and transfer of sewage on a tug that the Engineer is not rostered to crew.
- A ban on the performance of any Harbour Towage whilst rostered for duty on the tug allocated for LNG Standby.
- A ban on completing paperwork or data entry that is not required by legislation.
