Australia’s reputation damaged in messy fight between union and ports operator DP World: Exporters

There’s no end in sight for a messy battle between one of Australia’s largest port operators and the union, as exporters warn the fight is damaging the country’s reputation abroad.

Rolling industrial action at Australian ports is forcing exporters to shunt their produce around the country in a bid to get it abroad, with one major business saying the dispute between port operator DP World and the union was “destroying Australia’s reputation”.

Roger Fletcher, the managing director of Fletcher International Exports which supplies sheep meat, cotton wool and grains across the world, said the unresolved dispute was not just impacting ports, but the industries which rely on them to ship products across the world.

“We’ve got to plan forward – if we’re doing chill products, we can’t just turn the tap on and off,” he said, on the day when DP World – Australia’s second largest port operator – and its employees represented by the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) met in the Fair Work Commission.

“When we send chilled meat across, it’s all on a use by date – if it gets there past the use by date, we’re buggered.”

It comes as Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke will meet with DP World on Thursday, after arriving back from holidays and following Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s calls for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to intervene in the dispute personally.

Port Botany has been among the Australian ports struck by action. Photo: NCA Newswire

Mr Fletcher said he had previously been forced to transport containers full of chilled meat between Dubbo, Sydney and Melbourne multiple times in a bid to get it on a ship – before having it flown abroad.

Mr Fletcher – who said he hasn’t been “game to look” at the economic impact on his business – said he feared the delays would cause foreign countries to stop buying Australian produce.

“If customers don’t know when they’re going to get their product (they’ll stop buying) – would you buy Easter eggs if they weren’t going to get there for Easter?” he said.

Roger Fletcher, the managing director of Fletcher International Exports. Nat Salloum/The Australian

“We’re destroying Australia’s reputation – people don’t want to talk about that, but for customers – they want to know (the product is) as described and on time.”

The Fair Work Commission held a meeting with DP World and the MUA on Monday afternoon, where both sides agreed to continue working on a resolution, with the MUA demands revolving around increased pay and rostering.

It means MUA members will continue rolling action including two-hour work stoppages daily this week at ports across Australia, including Port Botany.

Eight-hour work stoppages are scheduled to start from January 22.

A gantry crane adorned with a logo for ports operator DP World is seen behind company signage at an entrance to the Port Botany compound in Sydney on November 13, 2023. Picture: AFP

Earlier on Monday DP World’s executive vice president for Oceania, Nicolaj Noes, said he anticipated delays of two to three weeks to loading containers would “blow out even further”, adding that he didn’t “see an end” to the industrial action.

He said there was a backlog of up to 50,000 containers around Australia.

Adrian Evans, MUA Assistant National Secretary, on Monday said their ongoing action was aimed at driving their employer’s back to the table.

“The Union’s position during the last nine months of negotiation is completely uncontroversial. We seek a wage increase that recognises the cost-of-living crisis and we are defending vital safety and fatigue management clauses that management want to get rid of.”

“After nine or ten months of being ignored, undermined and lied about, the workers’ industrial action is intended to bring their bosses back to the negotiating table.”

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Originally published as Australia’s reputation damaged in messy fight between union and ports operator DP World: Exporters