Brisbane pilots take industrial action

UNIONISED pilots in the port of Brisbane will begin industrial action against employer Poseidon Sea Pilots (PSP) on Wednesday 28 October after what they claim is six months of unsuccessful enterprise agreement negotiations.

The Australian Maritime Officers Union (AMOU) members say the protest action will include bans on overtime and responding to work-related phone calls during rostered time off. The pilots say they are seeking to retain their current roster protections, including start times, a maximum working day of 14 hours and a limit of three consecutive night shifts.

“For years, pilots have accommodated extended shifts and worked on rostered days off to maintain reliable pilotage services,” AMOU industrial officer Tracey Ellis said.

“Poseidon Sea Pilots is now seeking significant changes to established working conditions, including the introduction of captivity. Pilots recognise the demands of a 24-hour port and remain willing to work with the company to agree on practical rest arrangements, subject to reasonable limits and appropriate compensation.”

For its part, PSP said its proposals were designed to improve fatigue management, maritime safety, and the reliability of pilotage services in Brisbane.

Ms Ellis said Brisbane pilots already carry a substantial workload, while their pay and conditions lag behind comparable Australian ports.

“This is about maintaining current conditions and introducing protections from being adversely affected by regulator decisions. Pilots have purposely chosen not to ballot for work stoppages because they don’t want to affect the broader community.”

Pilots are also seeking an increase to the allowance on offer for income protection following the introduction of new health standards by Maritime Safety Queensland.

“The Queensland Health Standards are modelled on the New South Wales Marine Pilotage Code,” Ms Ellis said.

“The corresponding NSW employment conditions that protect pilots who become injured or unwell have not been implemented, so pilots are having to negotiate protections with their employer.”

After months of changing company proposals, pilots put forward a fair four-year settlement involving significant compromises, Ms Ellis claimed. Poseidon rejected that proposal and sought further operational concessions, so pilots are no longer prepared to routinely extend their working hours or sacrifice their rostered time off to compensate for the company’s resourcing pressures.

“Poseidon’s marine pilots will continue to perform their rostered duties during the period of protected action, but will not extend shifts beyond 14 hours, work on rostered days off, or provide the additional flexibility on which the company has increasingly relied on.

“Emergency directions from the Harbour Master to address imminent safety threats remain exempt from the action.

“The pilots remain committed to safe, reliable pilotage and are ready to finalise a fair agreement that recognises their contribution and protects established working conditions,” Ms Ellis said.

John Eccleston, GM pilotage at Poseidon Sea Pilots, told DCN he was “immensely proud of the work our entire Poseidon team does every day to support Queensland's maritime industry".

"While we face challenges through these negotiations, I am confident we can work together towards a fair and sustainable outcome for everyone," he said.

Mr Eccleston said the AMOU raised several issues, but he wanted to focus on what appeared to be the most contentious: the proposed inter-job rest arrangements. “We disagree with the AMOU's characterisation of these arrangements as ‘captivity’. Our proposal is designed to improve fatigue management, maritime safety, and the reliability of pilotage services in Brisbane,” he said.

Poseidon included in its response a list of three key points that it said were important to understand (highlighted below in italics):

• The facts – paid rest with defined safeguards. Our pilots work an even-time roster of seven days on and seven days off. We are proposing that, in defined circumstances, pilots undertake between four and nine hours of protected rest at an away station between assignments. Under our proposal, ordinary hours would average 40 per week across the two-week roster cycle, with all approved work and directed rest credited towards those remunerated hours. Importantly, pilots continue to be remunerated during protected rest periods, with that time fully credited towards their ordinary hours, despite not undertaking active pilotage duties. The proposal also includes suitable accommodation, additional allowances, overtime provisions and clear fatigue-management safeguards.

• The outcome – improved safety and reliability. These arrangements would allow us to plan recovery periods between assignments, better manage fatigue and respond more effectively to changing shipping schedules. The objective is to organise pilotage assignments and rest periods more effectively while maintaining safe and reliable services.

• The broader benefit – supporting reliable pilotage services and maritime trade. Brisbane's port operates around the clock, with shipping schedules constantly changing. Improving the safety and reliability of our operations benefits everyone. As a relatively small Queensland business providing an essential maritime service, we have a responsibility to support our pilots' wellbeing, deliver reliable pilotage services and maintain the long-term sustainability of our operations. This requires practical working arrangements that support both our employees and the Queensland economy.

“Our proposal is not about making pilots work harder. It is about managing work and rest more safely, providing additional protections and remuneration, and delivering a more reliable service for the port and its users,” Mr Eccleston said.

“We respect our pilots' right to participate in protected industrial action and remain committed to reaching a fair and sustainable agreement through constructive negotiations.”

Earlier this year, Carnival Australia was obliged to cancel a cruise ship call at Moreton Bay when Poseidon was unable to provide a pilot “due to unexpected circumstances”. At the time sources suggested an inflexible roster was behind the unavailability.