THE MARITIME Union of Australia has applied to the Fair Work Commission to take protected industrial action in its negotiations for a new enterprise bargaining agreement for stevedores at DP World.

Negotiations for new port operations agreements, which cover stevedores, began in April this year. The current agreements reach their nominal expiry dates on 30 September.

A spokesperson for DP World said: “We are disappointed that after bargaining in good faith with the CFMEU-MUA Division and having attended over 90 hours of meetings to reach a consensus on a new enterprise agreement, the union has chosen this course of action”.

The spokesperson said strikes and industrial action “only serve to escalate and inflame tensions in the bargaining environment and disrupt the supply and export of goods in Australia’s supply chain”.

The DP World spokesperson said the company is keeping its customers and stakeholders “well-informed” about possible disruptions and schedule changes.

“We look forward to sitting down with the CFMEU-MUA at the Fair Work Commission as part of their conciliation conference in the coming weeks to see if we can achieve a productive outcome, without the need to resort to this highly disruptive approach,” the spokesperson said.

MUA assistant national secretary Adrian Evans said: “The MUA is fighting for a wage increase for DP World workers that is in line with society’s expectations amidst a cost-of-living crisis that has been fuelled by corporate profiteering and which workers’ wages have failed to keep pace with”.

“DP World is looking for pay cuts of up to 32% in their claims, which we obviously cannot accept.”

Mr Evans said DP World cancelled the last round of bargaining last week.

“We suggest that DP World come back to the negotiating table so that we can settle a new employment agreement.”

The last time DP World stevedores’ contracts expired, it took two and a half years of negotiations until workers voted in favour of the new enterprise bargaining agreements in February 2021 after coming to an in-principle deal in October 2020.

The negotiation process had been winding down since late August 2020 when the two sides reached agreement on part of the EBA.