As Patrick Stevedoring, a subsidiary of
Asciano, heads to the Fair Work Commission today to try to get an order against industrial action, the Maritime Union of Australia reiterated its intention to begin rolling bans and stoppages from Saturday night.
''Once again, Patrick has failed to negotiate in good faith, illustrating their total lack of commitment to achieving a result which is mutually beneficial. This process has been going for more than nine months - and Patrick has continually shown a reluctance to improve safety standards and a complete lack of genuine negotiating.'' said the union's national secretary, Paddy Crumlin.
The breakdown means wharfies will begin bans on overtime, transfers between worksites and acting in different roles to those specified in contracts, and a series of 24-hour and 48-hour stoppages from tomorrow morning at ports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle.
While Patrick complains that the union is not genuinely negotiating, a University of Adelaide industrial law expert, Andrew Stewart, said if that were the case, Fair Work Australia would not have approved protected industrial action. ''The provision on industrial action under this act is essentially the same as under the Howard government's law,'' he said.
Mr Crumlin said the company's main objection was to the union's demand for tighter safety standards. ''We have seen four deaths in five years - so the issue of safety on the wharves is very significant.
''Since Christmas, there have been nine safety-related incidents reported on Patrick's docks. With so many close calls, it's a miracle that no one has been killed this year.''
Mick Doleman, MUA assistant national secretary, said "Someone ought to remind Patrick that John Howard doesn't exist any more."
