With management of Darwin Ports persisting with a series of wage cuts for Territory port workers in a new Employment Agreement, workers who have tried to negotiate in good faith for a fair deal are left with little choice but to engage in industrial action in support of their rights at work.
With inflation running rampant and recent Fair Work Commission decisions to award pay rises in the vicinity of 5% this year, the Maritime Union of Australia’s Deputy Secretary Warren Smith has described the ambition of Darwin Ports to slash wages as “lunacy”.
“This is a position that is completely out of step with the rest of the nation. It is outrageous that any employer would consider delivering a pay cut under the current circumstances, especially in the transport and shipping sector where it has been the labour of this workforce that has kept society moving during COVID”, Mr Smith said.
Corporate profits in Australia surged by 10.2% quarter on quarter in the first half of 2022, easily beating market expectations of a 4% rise. This has occurred as Australian workers have gone backwards and the purchasing power of their wages has diminished.
In the face of an attack on the rates of pay for Darwin Port workers, the Maritime Union is currently balloting its membership to gather a democratic mandate for industrial action at the Port.
“Everything we do is driven by the grassroots. If the workforce determine that they will take action it will be because they feel they have no other choice against an employer that has disrespected and mistreated them,” Mr Smith said.
“To try to strip the pay rates is an unjustifiable position and completely undermines the trust between the workforce and management,” Mr Smith said.
Darwin Ports have lodged a dispute with the Fair Work Commission to halt the balloting process, an action which the MUA has described as an “intimidatory stand-over tactic”.
“We are in this situation because of the belligerence of Darwin Ports’ management. Instead of setting up a fight with their employees over wages, they should work towards a respectful and cooperative relationship with their workers that builds on the massive contribution made by our members during COVID,” Mr Smith said.
