In the aftermath of a recent resolution between DP World and the Maritime Union of Australia, a new industrial dispute is causing havoc in Brisbane. The conflict with the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) is impacting the reliability and maintenance of automatic stacking cranes (ASCs) crucial for loading and unloading trucks at DP World’s terminals.
Neil Chambers, director of Container Transport Alliance Australia (CTAA), sheds light on the stalled negotiations between DP World and ETU. He notes that talks scheduled last Friday hit a roadblock, with the union failing to attend while the company insists on lifting Protected Industrial Actions (PIAs) before resuming discussions.
CTAA reveals that only 16 employees involved in electrical trades are affected, responsible for maintaining and repairing the terminal’s handling equipment, including ASC modules. Despite the company’s offer of a 6%, 4%, 4%, and 4.5% remuneration increase over four years, ETU allegedly seeks a deal mirroring the MUA’s, featuring an 8% increase in the first year and subsequent percentages.
Chambers highlights the adversarial nature of industrial relations laws, leading to frequent stand-offs during bargaining periods, with detrimental effects on Australia’s international supply chains.
“The landside impacts of the ASC breakdowns and unavailability in the DP World Brisbane Terminal are extreme,” warns Chambers.
Reviewing notices from DP World Brisbane, Chambers notes 90 instances of ASC breakdowns and unavailability in January, with over 60 instances in February to date. He emphasizes the significant truck turnaround time delays, reaching between two to five hours. Transport operators are compelled to allocate additional labor, including weekends and night shifts, incurring higher operating costs to cope with delayed freight demand through the terminal.
Chambers estimates that these delays are costing container transport operators more than 20% extra in operating costs, encompassing truck waiting times, additional container handling, staging, and increased labor expenses.
Disputing a senior DP World official’s claim that there is no impact on the supply chain or day-to-day operations, Chambers invites them to witness the situation in Brisbane firsthand. He suggests they experience the delays by sitting with truck drivers during night shifts, emphasizing the impact on the ground level.
CTAA plans to escalate the issue to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, considering Chain of Responsibility (CoR) actions and responsibilities in the container transport logistics chain.
Source:Business news Australia
