JAMIE NEWLYN
ASSISTANT NATIONAL SECRETARY
SVITZER TUGS EBA TERMINATION IS AN ACT OF RECKLESS,
MILITANT BRINKSMANSHIP BY COMPANY MANAGEMENT
19 JANUARY 2022
As one of three separate unions party to the employment agreement with Svitzer Tugs, the MUA has been negotiating in good faith for an outcome that all sides can be happy with, however the efforts of the AIMPE, AMOU and the MUA to work cooperatively have not been matched by the company.
Today’s action by company management is an act of militant brinksmanship and should be called out as an unhelpful and needlessly aggressive action by an employer against their loyal employees.
A recent ballot of Svitzer’s employees for the take-it-or-leave-it deal management put forward came back with a resounding 92% refusal from the entire workforce. This should send a clear message to Svitzer management that the deal they put on the table is unfair and unreasonable.
Amidst the global supply chain crisis unfolding right now, Svitzer’s militant behaviour will only exacerbate the already vulnerable position Australian businesses and consumers have found themselves in throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Abandoning the flexibility and productivity that the Enterprise Agreement provides and forcing the entire workforce on to the basic Award will have a massive knock-on effect, making it all but impossible for round-the-clock operations at Svitzer Tugs to continue.
The social and economic impacts for all Australians of Svitzer’s proposed action – and its consequences – cannot be overstated, and Svitzer must not be allowed to cut adrift their loyal workers at such a difficult time, simply to improve their company’s bottom line.
