PORT workers are unfairly “bearing the brunt of criticism” from managers following the release of the Productivity Commission’s draft report, according to the Maritime Union of Australia.
The draft report on Australia’s maritime logistics system, published 9 September, highlighted the perceived underperformance of Australian ports.
The lack of productivity was attributed, in part, to workplace arrangements resulting in industrial action at ports.
MUA national secretary Paddy Crumlin said the Productivity Commission had made more than ten findings critical of management, port company owners and the former federal government, however the blame was placed on workers by managers who “share responsibility” for issues with Australia’s port productivity.
“The real story is the chronic institutional failure of management, capital and government to avert the Australian supply chain crisis through a combination of corporate negligence and political hubris,” Mr Crumlin said.
“In the case of Svitzer, this was done in concert with a parent company, Maersk, which posted a $22 billion profit last financial year off the back of global supply chain problems which it helped to develop through cartel conduct and abuse of their international market power.
“These corporate rent-seekers continue to perpetuate overblown, outdated and unsubstantiated myths about their own workforce in an attempt to garner sympathy ahead of what we can only assume will be another round of militant employer misconduct during the bargaining period for future agreements.”
Mr Crumlin argued Svitzer and Maersk had delayed during bargaining for a period of more than two years, including in “one notorious case seeking at the last minute to throw workers back on the award”.
In August this year, Svitzer had announced plans to commence proceedings to terminate its enterprise agreement with the MUA, the Australian Maritime Officer’s Union and the Australian Institute of Marine Power Engineers.
The three unions responded by launching protected industrial action in ports around the country and obtained a four-month adjournment of the EBA termination hearing.
“For [Svitzer and Maersk] to now blame their workforce when the evidence of their commercial and economic vandalism was plain for all to see is just laughable,” Mr Crumlin said.
