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As flagged by Patrick Terminals on 14 July (see: HERE), further Protected Industrial Actions (PIAs) by the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) have been confirmed this week at Patrick's Fremantle Terminal, and the Melbourne Terminal at East Swanson Dock (ESD):
Fremantle:
Issue: Notice of Protected Industrial Action at Patrick- Fremantle Terminal
Short Description: Patrick Terminals have been served with further "Protected Industrial Action (PIA)" notifications from the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA).
Details of this action at Fremantle Terminal is noted below:
* A stoppage of work of 24 hours duration commencing at 2300 on Thursday 22 July 2021.
* A stoppage of work of 24 hours duration commencing at 2300 on Sunday 25 July 2021.
This action is in addition to the current ban on the allocation of employees during certain roster phases and will continue to limit the availability of labour to conduct stevedoring and road operations.
Patrick Terminals has been actively working towards a solution with the MUA that was fair and reasonable for all parties and we are disappointed in the MUA's approach in taking PIA at this stage in the discussions.
Our key priority is to minimise the impact on our customers and the critical Australian supply chain. We will maintain a high level of communication with you in relation to any impact.
Issue Impact: On behalf of
Peter Chesi,
Terminal Manager
Melbourne:
Issue: MUA Protected action - Friday 23rd July
Short Description: MUA Protected action - Friday 23rd July
Please be advised there is a planned MUA protected action stoppage on Friday 23rd July.
There will be no Terminal (Ship and R&D) operations from 7am Friday to 7am Saturday.
Regards,
Peter Eyre-Walker
PATRICK TERMINAL
Patrick East Swanson
These industrial actions continue to be frustrating and disruptive to container transport operations to/from Patrick Terminals, leading to delays and additional landside logistics costs for imports and exports.
Shipper Advocacy:
In a parallel development, Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) and the Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA), on behalf of a large swathe of Australian exporters, importers and freight forwarders, are escalating advocacy for an immediate and sustained solution to achieve business continuity on the waterfront.
FTA & APSA have made a formal approach to The Hon. Michaelia Cash (Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations) seeking Federal Government early intervention through the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to end the current PIAs, as well as longer-term consideration of port operations being treated as an essential service with permanent change to industrial relation laws to ensure Australia's trade gateways remain unimpeded.
FTA / APSA has stated that "While the Federal Government justifiably boasts about its diplomatic achievements in gaining access to Free Trade Agreements, the introduction of a Simplified Trade System and other opportunities to support Australian commerce, this counts for little by failing to take measures that guarantee that we have a reliable supply chain to facilitate import and export operations."
A copy of the formal FTA/APSA correspondence to the Attorney-General, copied also to the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia | Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Barnaby Joyce, and to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Dan Tehan, can be downloaded: HERE
Regards,
Neil Chambers, Director
Container Transport Alliance Australia (CTAA)
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