Michael Ferguson,Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
The industrial action at Webb Dock in Melbourne proves the unions don’t care for Tasmania and are willing to use local jobs, businesses and livelihoods as their playthings.
It is understood that Toll has offered an enterprise agreement outcome, providing significantly enhanced terms and conditions for its employees at Webb Dock.
Disappointingly, this is apparently not enough for the MUA, but it’s Tasmanian exporters and importers that will suffer as a result.
We have been contacted by numerous Tasmanian businesses, including grain importers, fruit and vegetable exporters and mineral exporters. As a result of the union’s action, some Tasmanian producers are seriously considering shutting down production lines, which will have a serious impact on jobs and the economy.
There are now also significant backlogs of containers at both ends of the shipping run, and media reports show that supermarkets are beginning to run low on some supplies. This will not only hurt Tasmanian businesses, but will also have an impact on Tasmanian families.
Labor could help. Labor needs to call on their union mates to get back to work and stop holding Tasmania, jobs and businesses to ransom. If they won’t, it tells Tasmanians who Labor really represents – and it’s not the regional Tasmanian workers whose jobs are at risk.
The union knows full well the significant impact this action is designed to have on Tasmanian given our high reliance on Bass Strait shipping.
We condemn this disgraceful union action, which can only be described as economic thuggery.
