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Maritime Union Of Australia News

13 Dec 2023

Woodside Preserves Place for Australian Seafarers

© moofushi / Adobe Stock

Woodside Energy has reached agreement with three Australian maritime unions on the Australian crewing of an LNG vessel.The agreement with the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union – Maritime Union of Australia Division; the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers; and the Australian Maritime Officers Union preserves a role for Australian-resident seafarers in the maritime industry delivering LNG to customers across Asia.The agreement will support employment of around 70 Australian-resident seafarers on an LNG carrier within Woodside’s chartered fleet.

14 Nov 2022

Svitzer Announces Lockout in Australia

(Photo: Svitzer)

Svitzer Australia, a subsidiary of A.P. Møller – Maersk, announced on Monday that it will lock out all harbor towage employees covered under its 2016 National Towage Enterprise Agreement and their union bargaining representatives starting Friday, November 18, amid ongoing pay disputes.The lockout, which is slated to run indefinitely, will impact shipping operations at Australian ports in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. No shipping…

23 Aug 2022

Shell, Unions Reach Deal to End Strike at Prelude FLNG

(Photo: Shell)

Shell and unions representing workers at its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility have reached a wage deal to end a long-running strike and restart production at the site off northwest Australia, they said on Wednesday.Shell shut the 3.6 million-tonnes-a-year Prelude facility in July and told customers it would be unable to supply LNG for the duration of the protected industrial action, or strikes approved by Australia's Fair Work Commission, over a wage dispute."Shell is pleased to confirm an in-principle Enterprise Agreement has been reached with the Australian Workers’ Uni

18 Aug 2022

Shell's Giant Prelude FLNG Unit to Remain Shut for Longer as Pay Dispute Continues

Unions at Shell Plc's Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) site off Australia have extended industrial action to Sept. 1 over a long-running pay dispute, the company said on Thursday. Shell shut down the 3.6-million-tonne-a-year site in July and told customers it would be unable to supply LNG cargoes for the duration of work stoppages approved by Australia's Fair Work Commission, or Protected Industrial Action (PIA). "We can confirm it's been renewed until Sept. 1," a Shell spokesperson said of the protected industrial action. The work stoppages began on June 10 and no cargoes have been shipped from the site in about five weeks, worsening a global LNG supply crunch amid the Ukraine conflict.

09 Jun 2022

Workers on Shell's Prelude FLNG to Start 12-day Strike on Friday

Workers on Shell Plc's Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility off Western Australia are set to begin 12 days of industrial action on Friday over a pay fight, a union alliance said on Thursday.Shell did not comment on what impact the mix of short work stoppages and bans on certain tasks, to run through June 21 might have on output at the 3.6 million-tonnes-a-year LNG facility."Shell recognizes the entitlement of all workers to exercise their rights, including the right to participate in industrial action," a Shell spokeswoman said in emailed comments.The action comes two months after Prelude resumed shipping LNG after a four-month shutdown due to a major power failure.The Offshore Alliance…

10 Aug 2015

Brisbane Port Picket over Sacked Workers Continues

A picket of Hutchison ports in Sydney and Brisbane has entered fourth day after the Maritime Workers Union vowed to continue defying a Fair Work order to cease industrial action. The picketers say that the power to the site has been cut in a bid to move them off. At least 29 unions have been picketing the Hutchison Ports Australia site since the company sacked 97 workers in Brisbane and Sydney via text message and email four days ago, reports The News. Maritime Union of Australia Queensland state secretary Bob Carnegie says the company has now cut power to a substation near their site to try to break the picket. “That’s the sort of animals we’re dealing with,” he told picketers. Protesting workers have refused to unload the cargo ship to arrive at Hutchison Port operations.

07 Aug 2015

Port Botany Workers Sacked via Text Message

Infuriated workers have formed picket line at Hutchison Ports in Botany, NSW after 97 employees from Sydney and Brisbane were sacked by email. Hutchison Ports Australia operates as Brisbane Container Terminals in Queensland. Brisbane port workers woke Friday morning to discover they had been sacked overnight, with Hutchison Ports Australia alerting them to the news via text message. The sent out a message to more than 40 workers just before midnight, stating the worker had been sacked and there would be "no redeployment opportunities". "You are not required for your allocated shift, please disregard your most recent work orders, you are not required on shift until further notice," the text message sent to 41 Brisbane workers said.

28 Jul 2015

Maritime Union of Australia Oppose China Trade Deal

The Maritime Union of Australia is willing to use its power over the country's ports to disrupt a new free trade deal with China, reports AAP. The union movement’s opposition to the China Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) has ratcheted up since the agreement was signed in Canberra on June 17. MUA Queensland branch secretary Bob Carnegie says his union controls all imports and exports and they're prepared to act against the deal, which he says is aimed at "breaking the back of trade unionism". "All it needs is a phone call and the Maritime Union of Australia will stand by any worker, anywhere, who is fighting for a free and better Australia," he said. About 400 people took part in the protest, held outside a Senate Joint Standing Committee on Treaties hearing into the deal.

04 Jul 2015

Caltex Replaces Australian Crew

The 36 Australian crew members of an Caltex tanker refusing to set sail after they were told their jobs would be gone after the next run. MR tanker Alexander Spirit (40,100 dwt, built 2007) is docked in Devonport, in Tasmania's north-west, now. The Maritime Union of Australia says the shipping company is moving to replace Australian workers with foreign seafarers, who they say are sometimes paid as little as $2 an hour. Under Australian cabotage laws, ships operating in domestic waters must employ Australian workers, but Caltex is redeploying the ship to international routes. The ship is no longer needed to transport fuel from its Brisbane refinery to other parts of Australia, Caltex spokesman said Sam Collyer. "Clearly this is a tough decision," he said.

06 Nov 2014

Tug Operators Plan Strike at Port Hedland

Photo: Pilbara Ports Authority

Tug boat engineers at Port Hedland, Australia's biggest iron ore port, plan to stop work for four hours on Nov. 12 over a pay dispute, threatening exports from BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals Group , according to tug operator Teekay Shipping. The Australian Institute of Marine & Power Engineers (AIMPE) has given notice of the stoppage, Teekay said, adding that it exempted towage already under way. AIMPE Federal Secretary Martin Byrne said the action was aimed at having "minimal impact" on the port's users and would take place in the morning during a low tide…

03 Sep 2014

Canadian Maritime & Supply Chain Coalition Formed

Leaders of the new coalition say they are fighting for the survival of the Canadian Maritime Industry, and explained their significant worries concerning the Canadian-European Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) and the lack of transparency that government has had when making this deal. This free trade agreement will allow EU beneficially owned Flag of Convenience (FOC) vessels and so-called European National Flag to trade freely between Canadian ports without any restrictions on origin of the crew, or level of wage and working conditions. What we can be sure about is that this agreement will completely halt the Canadian maritime transport sector's growth. Moreover, the communities and regions that depend on this industry will be destroyed.

17 Jul 2014

Australian Senate Rejects Offshore Foreign Worker Visa Plan

All maritime unions – the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), The Australian Maritime Officers Union (AMOU) and Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers (AIMPE) – opposed the Abbott Government’s attempts to flood the offshore oil and gas sector with cheap foreign labour, says the Maritime Union of Australia. They consider that the Australian Parliament has made the right decision in disallowing this proposal. The Senate  voted to disallow the Federal Government from continuing to issue Maritime Crew (subclass 988) visas to foreign workers for the purposes of working in Australia’s offshore oil and gas industry. A petition calling…

26 May 2014

MUA Condemns Proposed Changes To Stevedoring Award

The Maritime Union of Australia has condemned a raft of recommended changes to the modern award covering stevedoring - including increased hours and the removal of penalty rates – proposed by the nation’s major container port companies. Patrick Stevedores, Qube, and DP World recently filed a joint submission regarding the award covering stevedoring, which is under review as part of the four-year review of modern awards by the Fair Work Commission. MUA Deputy National Secretary Mick Doleman said, taken as a whole, the raft of proposals represented an outrageous attack on the rights of workers. "This set of proposals represents Patrick, Qube, and DP World enthusiastically throwing their weight behind the federal government's assault on workers," Mr Doleman said.

25 May 2014

MUA Pushes Massive Escalation of Waterfront Safety Campaign

In the wake of the death this week of Anthony Attard, a father of three who was killed doing his job on board the Toll RoRo vessel Tasmanian Achiever, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) is gearing up for a massive escalation of the Waterfront Safety Campaign. Assistant National Secretary Warren Smith, National Safety Officer Matt Goodwin and Victorian Branch Assistant Secretary Robert Patchett spent several days on the job supporting and working with members in the aftermath of this tragedy. lack of a decent traffic management plan, lack of a dedicated spotter and flagman to coordinate the safe movement of people and vehicles on and off the vessel…

23 May 2014

Port Hedland Tugboat Strike Averted

Photo courtesy of the Port Hedland Port Authority

The threat of a strike by tugboat workers at Port Hedland has been averted after the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) said no industrial action would be taken until late June at the earliest, GAC reported in its daily Hot Port News alert. Tugboat workers aligned to the union had been threatening to bring Port Hedland to a halt over a dispute over wages and annual leave entitlements. The MUA yesterday, May 22, agreed to suspend taking industrial action for a 30-day period. Source: GAC

20 May 2014

Australia Aims to Avert Port Strike

Teekay Shipping took part in Australian government-sponsored mediation talks on Tuesday to avert industrial action by tugboat operators that could halt a quarter of global seaborne iron ore exports. There were no immediate comments on any outcome from the talks. BHP Billiton has previously warned that a strike by tugboat operators at Port Hedland on the Indian Ocean could cost up to $100 million in lost revenue each day. Deckhands, engineers and masters of the tugboats that guide vessels in and out of the port are pressing operator Teekay Shipping for more pay and leave. Deckhands, represented by the Maritime Union of Australia, last week approved plans to strike for one, two or seven days but have yet to decide whether to stop work. Any strike by them would have to take place by June 11.

12 May 2014

Possible Tug Strike in Port Hedland

Photo courtesy Port Hedland Port Authority

Negotiations continue between Teekay Shipping and unions representing tug crews at Port Hedland in a bid to resolve the issue of enterprise negotiation agreements, GAC said in its daily Hot Port News report. The Fair Work Commission has granted permission to the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), the Australian Maritime Officers Union (AMOU) and the Australian Institute of Marine & Power Engineers (AIMPE) to hold protected action ballot orders. The MUA ballot will conclude today, May 12, and the AMOU and AIMPE ballots on May 30 and June 10, respectively.

12 May 2014

Tugboat Workers Back Australian Ore Port Strike Plan

Tugboat workers at Australia's biggest iron ore port have approved a plan to go on strike, which would halt a quarter of the world's iron ore exports, if they are unable to resolve a dispute over leave and pay, their union said on Monday. Deckhands in the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) voted to strike for one, two or seven days, but remain in talks with tugboat operator Teekay Shipping Australia to resolve the dispute, the union said. No date or timeframe has been set for a strike, which would halt iron ore shipments by BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals Group. Together they supply more than half of Australia's iron ore exports. "Industrial…

28 Mar 2014

ITF President Weighs in on Multimillion Dollar Fisheries Dispute

International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) president Paddy Crumlin has met with key stakeholders in Auckland, New Zealand, about the ongoing campaign to secure NZD30 million in unpaid wages for fishers in the region. The ITF has contributed to Slave Free Seas’ campaign to claim outstanding wages in the vicinity of NZD30 million through the New Zealand courts. Crumlin met with senior union representatives from Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, the Slave Free Seas advocacy group and the Merchant Service Guild as part of the Regional Maritime Federation meeting.

11 Jul 2013

ITF Port Unions Resolve to Campaign Against DP World

London Gateway Terminal: Photo courtesy of DP World

ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) dockers’ union representatives meeting in Chicago, USA, resolve to organise a global campaign highlighting the need for global network terminal operator (GNT) DP World to engage with unions over trade union rights/representation in a number of countries. The representatives agreed that action is required, particularly with regards the situation at London Gateway terminal, UK, where Unite the Union’s offer of cooperative working is being snubbed.

29 Apr 2013

Maritime Fatalities on the Rise in Australia

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau report shows a sharp increase in deaths & serious incidents in maritime & offshore sectors. The report, according to the ITF, found that between 2005 and 2012, 254 people were killed, missing or seriously injured in reported marine occurrences. In 2012, 154 such occurrences were reported – over 50 per cent higher than the 2005 to 2012 average of 100 per year. The Maritime Union of Australia said the report highlighted the urgent need for the federal government and its agencies to act to reduce the death and serious injury rates. The figures were: "not only shocking, they are a tragedy for the many families and communities who have lost loved ones,” said MUA national secretary Paddy Crumlin, also president of the ITF.

31 May 2012

ITF President Welcomes Australian shipping reform

ITF president and Maritime Union of Australia national secretary Paddy Crumlin today welcomed the passing of bills that secure the future of Australian shipping. The Australian government's landmark Shipping Reform Package bills today passed the Australian Parliament's House of Representatives with a narrow vote of 71 - 69. All of the speakers in favor made mention of the hard work of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) - its national secretary Paddy Crumlin and all the members involved. The bills represent over 10 years of work by the MUA, especially Mr Crumlin, and follows the endorsed support from members at the recent Seafarers’ Conference and National MUA Conference.

17 Sep 2012

Labor Union Summit Focuses on Automation Issue

The ILWU and ILA recently met in Washington, D.C.: first item on agenda was report on progress of East Coast USA contract negotiations. The meeting was attended also by ITF President and Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) National Secretary Paddy Crumlin and ITF Maritime Coordinator Steve Cotton. The first item of business was a report from ILA President Harold Daggett on the progress of the New East Coast contract, particularly on the outcome of negotiations on the introduction of automation to the terminals covered under the contract. The ILA President reported that job security for displaced ILA members, including retraining into new maintenance jobs, was central to any agreed outcome.