The DP World Australia terminal at Port Botany was hit with work stoppages Tuesday 30 March as the Maritime Union undertook unprotected industrial action.
DCN understands maintenance workers stopped work when DPWA engaged contractors to carry out wire rope changes on quay cranes.
A DPWA spokesperson confirmed to DCN that unprotected industrial action initiated by the Maritime Union of Australia took place at DP World’s Sydney Terminal from 8 am to 6 pm on Tuesday, 30 March.
“Both quayside and landside operations at DP World’s Sydney Terminal ceased throughout this period,” the spokesperson said.
“DP World Australia sought intervention from the Fair Work Commission to end this unauthorised action, and they issued orders in our favour. Employees returned to work later on the same day.”
Maritime Union of Australia Sydney branch secretary Paul Keating told DCN that DPWA workers have been safely undertaking wire rope changes for 40 years at the Port Botany terminal.
“Maintenance workers at the terminal are not only fully trained and qualified, they have extensive experience undertaking these complex wire rope changes,” he said.
“Given DPW maintenance workers were available to undertake the work, it appears the company was attempting to manufacture a dispute by outsourcing the work in breach of the enterprise agreement.
“Workers held genuine safety concerns about the outsourcing of this work given the only other time an external contractor has undertaken a wire rope change at the terminal, in 2019, problems with their work led to a major incident that damaged a crane and could have caused serious harm to workers.”
