Melbourne waterfront dispute: Wharfies furious at fresh job cuts by DP World Australia

Wharf workers have voiced their fury after Australia’s biggest stevedore today announced 100 Melbourne jobs would be axed in a fresh round of cuts.

DP World Australia will cut another 100 jobs in Melbourne. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Wharfies have branded Australia’s biggest stevedore a bully after it retrenched 100 workers in Melbourne.

DP World Australia’s cuts — matched in Sydney — come as the logistics giant and union try to thrash out a new industrial agreement.

More than 1800 wharfies last week walked off DP World terminals.

They’re demanding a 3 per cent pay rise and assurances waterfront jobs won’t be lost to outsourcing and automation.

Maritime Union of Australia assistant national secretary Warren Smith said DP World’s cuts were destroying families.

The union claims today’s job losses — on top of 50 stevedores who finish in Melbourne this week — were announced to the media before workers.

“What kind of company tells the media about job cuts before talking to the workers who are directly affected?” Mr Smith said.

Maritime Union of Australia assistant national secretary Warren Smith. Picture: Brendan Francis.

“This is corporate bullying and intimidation using the livelihoods of wharfies in an attempt to intimidate the workforce into accepting anything the company wants.

“This situation, where a massive multinational company is showing total contempt for Australian workers and their families, shows once again how broken our country’s workplace laws are.

“Threatening people’s jobs, their livelihoods, and their families’ wellbeing should never be considered an acceptable way to achieve an industrial outcome.”

DP World Australia chief operating officer Andrew Adam said the company had been trying to negotiate a restructure since September 2018 amid losses in freight volumes.

“The company must push on and address the impact of volume losses,” Mr Adam said.

“We have been very patient, but further restructures of our workforce have become necessary.

“We have not taken the decision to downsize lightly.”

Industrial action across DP World’s Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle terminals was having a huge impact with four vessels redirected to other stevedores in July to mitigate hold ups.

An estimated 40 vessels and up to 110,000 containers had been delayed.

“The union have repeatedly demonstrated a dogged unwillingness to make any concessions on

their claims,’’ Mr Adam said.

“We are always prepared to meet with the union to negotiate, provided those meetings

will be constructive.”

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