THE Maritime Union is to hit DPWA container terminals at Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane with industrial action starting on Friday (17 January).
This follows earlier action at Fremantle where wharfies walked off the job earlier this week.
For DPW Melbourne and Port Botany, this means one hour stoppages at the end of every shift, affecting the 5am, 1pm and 9pm time zones.
“The R&D schedule is to be shaped in line with the stoppages & VBS slot availability amended accordingly,” a company statement read.
DPWA chief operating officer, terminals, Andrew Adam said renewed industrial action was in support of new claims by the union that were “untenable for DPWA”.
“If we were to agree to them, our ability to service customers such as yourself would be seriously impacted, now and into the future,” Mr Adam said in a notice to customers.
“I can assure you that we will do all we can to mitigate the impact of industrial action on your service, while we vigorously take whatever action is necessary and appropriate to have the industrial action stopped.”
Some work bans are also expected in Brisbane.
The Maritime Union – part of the CFMMEU – has previously said it had been left with “no choice” but to take industrial action in order to finalise a new workplace agreement addressing issues around job security and as well as parental leave and domestic violence leave.
“Wharfies at DP World’s Fremantle terminal are simply fed up after attempting to negotiate a new workplace agreement for 15 months,” MUA WA branch secretary Christy Cain said earlier in the week.
