HUTCHISON Ports’ terminals at Sydney and Brisbane are set to be hit with industrial action this Friday, as a dispute drags on with the Maritime Union.
In a notice to customers, Hutchison confirmed protected industrial action at both terminals.
In Sydney, the terminal is to be closed from 6am Friday until 6am Saturday.
In Brisbane, the terminal is to be closed from 7am Friday until 7am Saturday.
This latest action is a continuation of a dispute that resulted in noisy protests outside the Hutchison and Patrick terminals in Sydney back in January.
Earlier in the year, MUA assistant national secretary Warren Smith said the approach of the company to enterprise bargaining left them with no choice but to take industrial action.
“If Hutchison gets its way, waterfront workers would be left 26% worse off in retirement based on the company’s planned cuts to their superannuation entitlements, while redundancy payments would be halved for the average worker, as would long service leave,” Mr Smith said.
It has been a busy week on the industrial relations front, with DPWA and the MUA still in negotiations over an enterprise agreement.
