Unions holding up ports in pandemic ‘extortion’: Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison has slammed ‘militant unions’ at the centre of the Sydney wharf pay dispute | WATCH
Scott Morrison has accused unions at the centre of the Sydney wharf pay dispute of “extortion”, saying the holding up of ports during the pandemic is “not on.”
Attorney-General Christian Porter will intervene to support major stevedore Patrick’s urgent application to stop the Maritime Union of Australia’s industrial action at four ports.
The Prime Minister said on Tuesday that any delays at ports due to “militant unions” was not acceptable during the COVID crisis.
“There are 40 ships and I’m told there’s some 90,000 containers out there that includes medical supplies,” Mr Morrison said.
“This is just extraordinary, appalling behaviour. And they as much as admitted it on morning television this morning... that is just straight-out extortion. That is reprehensible.
“We cannot have the militant end of the union movement effectively engaging in a campaign of extortion against the Australian people in the middle of a COVID-19 recession.”
Lodging its application with the Fair Work Commission on Monday, Patrick said Australia’s economy was losing hundreds of millions of dollars a day and its operations were three weeks behind schedule at Port Botany in Sydney as a result of stoppages, go-slows and overtime bans.
Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has lashed the federal government after it swung in behind shipping company Patrick in its dispute with members of the Maritime Workers Union.
“There should be dialogue in the interests of both parties coming together, rather than conflict, and that the commonwealth should be playing a role in that rather than engaging in rhetoric for political purposes,” Mr Albanese said.
“We have an industrial relations system that provides for action.”
“This is the government’s industrial relations system, but there should be, also, as well as formal processes, the commonwealth should be playing a role in trying to bring the parties together.”
Mr Albanese said the government should do its job of trying to resolve the dispute by bringing the parties together not taking a side.
“Trade unions and employers have a common interest. They have an interest in successful businesses, but, of course, successful businesses are ones as well that have a cooperative workforce,” he said.
With David Ross
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