Union self-interest hard at work

At a time of job losses and reduced income for many, wharfies on average annual pay between $151,048 and $172,124 with bonuses and overtime are being offered by Patrick Terminals an increase of 10 per cent over four years. But negotiations have dragged on for months, punctuated by rolling stoppages at our ports, which need a return to efficiency and order post-Covid.

A key sticking point is an anachronism with no place in a modern workforce: before Patrick can hire new employees, it needs the approval of the maritime union, the MUA. Patrick unsurprisingly wants the right to hire without such restraint, while the union wants any new hires to come from employees’ “family and friends” and a union list of names.

Trade unions have a rightful place in the workforce in order to protect and advance the interests of members. What the MUA feels entitled to is something quite different. If only union-sanctioned recruitment is allowed, then merit ceases to be the guiding principle and this is plainly unfair to competent people who would like to carry out these well-paid jobs in our ports. But an effective veto over the ordinary management prerogative to hire serves the corporate and political interests of the MUA, not necessarily the interests of an efficient workforce. It gives trade union officials the power of patronage, and in any conflict between the interests of the MUA and those of employees, the union-approved employees might well feel pressure to cave in to the union cause. In the long run, union favouritism militates against management’s ability to run a successful and profitable business capable of sustaining good jobs.

This is the context in which Patrick has declared “enough is enough” and applied to terminate the enterprise agreement. Insisting on its unaccountable power over hiring, the MUA has issued 19 notifications of rolling 12-hour strike actions in the coming fortnight at the Melbourne port.

The timing of this strike action could not be worse. Melbourne is emerging from unprecedented lockdown, and the swift revival of the economy should be a common cause after so much suffering and loss. Melbourne’s port has already been struggling with backlogs, and Covid restrictions have caused major problems with global supply chains. Australia is particularly dependent on sea freight, and production of goods in Asia is suffering a second shock, courtesy of the Delta virus. Is it too much for the rest of us to expect a show of solidarity from the MUA? Or is this a case of I’m all right Jack, bugger you!