CONTINUATION OF INDUSTRIAL ACTION AT QUBE PORTS - UPDATE 6

Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) and the Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA) have received notification from Qube Ports this morning (30 December 2024) of further Protected Industrial Action at Port Kembla which will take effect between 3 and 16 January 2025 - refer HERE

Where to from here? Should the parties remain at an impasse and fail to reach an agreement through negotiations, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) allows for arbitration in cases of protracted disputes. However, an application for arbitration cannot be made until at least nine months after the nominal expiry date of the previous agreement. As the previous Enterprise Agreement expired on 30 June 2024, the earliest opportunity to seek arbitration would be 31 March 2025. Given the current deadlock, it is possible that the dispute could extend well into the second quarter of 2025. FTA / APSA urges all parties involved in the industrial dispute to work together on a resolution to minimise the impact on workers, freight and the nation.  Updates will be posted at www.FTAlliance.com.au

Paul Zalai - Director FTA / Secretariat APSA