MARITIME Union wharfies had have held authorised stop work meetings at Port Botany as part of

Held between 10am and 2pm on Wednesday 1 May, the meetings affected DPWA, Patrick and Hutchison Port Holdings and were aimed at allowing for May Day marches.

Each of the meetings represented one of two annual stop-works allowed under the union enterprise agreements with the stevedoring companies.

A DPWA spokesperson said they had provided “advance notice to industry of any approved stoppages, giving operators sufficient time and opportunity to adjust their daily plans to minimise or avoid any challenges related to the movement of goods”.

“Further, DP World offers flexibility on a case by case application to both road and rail operators by providing extension of export receival cut-off times and dates, and/or adjustments to free time on a specific import container should they have exhausted all other opportunities to collect their goods prior to and/or post the scheduled stoppage,” the spokesperson said.       

ADVERTISEMENT  

The spokesperson said DP World Sydney’s adjustment to the vehicle booking system slot availability had been approved by Transport for NSW.

A Patrick spokesperson described the impact as “minimal”.

Hutchison was approached for comment.

While the meetings were authorised, Road Freight New South Wales chief executive Simon O’Hara said they would impact the transport sector.

“Yes it will make a significant difference to our members operations for the rest of the week coming off the back of Easter,” Mr O’Hara said.