DP World and Australian Maritime Union in Negotiations Over New Agreement

The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) has reached an “in-principle agreement” with DP World in an enterprise bargaining dispute that began early last year. The union has called off all industrial action planned by the around 1,800 workers at the stevedoring company, even though workers have not seen the full proposed agreement or voted on it. The MUA is being tight-lipped about the contents of the deal, saying only that it would deliver “fair pay, safety, and work-life balance.” The proposed agreement is a four-year deal and contains a nominal pay rise of 8 percent in the first year, followed by 7 percent, 4 percent, and 4.5 percent in subsequent years.

The agreement is a total capitulation on rostering changes that will cut workers’ take-home pay and reduce their quality of life. The changes are directed towards eliminating full-time work and establishing a 24-7 on-call workforce, in which no worker is ever paid unless they are actively producing profit for the company. By announcing the in-principle agreement, the MUA has given DP World free rein to implement its changes without opposition from workers. Workers are being told that the deal is done and dusted, and their vote is nothing more than a formality.

The nature of this operation was confirmed by federal Labor Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke, who declared, “this is how enterprise bargaining is meant to work.” Workers should reject the union’s attempt to sell-out their struggle and ram through a rotten deal. They should organize mass meetings and democratically decide whether industrial action should be resumed until they have had the opportunity to examine the final draft agreement. It is up to workers, not well-heeled bureaucrats, to decide what is “fair pay” and “work-life balance.”

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