DARWIN Port workers are preparing to take industrial action next week as fair work proceedings unfold and the Maritime Union of Australia and Darwin Port exchange accusations.

Members of the MUA, the Australian Maritime Officers Union and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union are disputing wage arrangements set out in a new employment agreement. Work stoppages and delays are expected from Friday 19 August.

The MUA said last month that port management had offered workers a wage increase of a little more than 2% after the Fair Work Commission raised the national minimum wage by 5.2% to deal with inflation.

The union suggested the increase offered to Darwin Port workers therefore amounted to a pay cut.

MUA then commenced the balloting process to gauge its members’ support for potential industrial action.

“The ballot for protected industrial action came back with 99.9% support for this course of action from the workforce,” MUA deputy national secretary Warren Smith said.

“[I]t is a clear demonstration of the unity and determination that exists at Darwin Ports amongst the workers.”

MUA said it has “repeatedly sought co-operation and negotiation” from Darwin Port management, but seemingly to no avail.

The union suggested the company had “so far failed to make good” on earlier commitments it had reportedly made to the workforce to table a pay offer to form the basis of a new employment agreement.

“The company has developed a pattern of behaviour here in which delay, distraction and dishonesty have become the norm,” Mr Smith said.

“We refuse to work harder, longer and for less in the face of skyrocketing cost of living increases.”

Darwin’s consumer price index increased by 6% between June 2021 and June 2022, the equal highest increase of all Australian capital cities (alongside Perth).

The cost of transportation in Darwin was up 15.3% on figures reported in June last year, and the price of housing rose 11.3% within the same timeframe.

“Management and the privateers, on huge wages, are having a privatisation party and expect their workers to pay for it – they will not,” Mr Smith said.

However, Darwin Port acting chief executive officer Peter Dummett has rejected Mr Smith’s allegations, maintaining that port management is committed to the timely resolution of enterprise bargaining negotiations.

“All parties in these negotiations have been confronted by the challenges presented by the current inflationary environment,” Mr Dummett said in a statement.

“Darwin Port believes that all parties in these negotiations were best served by seeking the assistance and oversight of the industrial umpire in the form of the Fair Work Commission – with a view to getting a timely and fair outcome for all.”

Mr Dummett encouraged MUA to make itself available to return to Fair Work Commission conciliation conferences as soon as possible.

He said an initial conciliation conference was held on 26 July, but a second conference scheduled for 5 August was postponed until 29 August, reportedly due to illness.

“In the interim the unions have issued demands and threatened legal action against Darwin Port and have organised for unnecessary protected industrial action,” Mr Dummett said.

“Darwin Port has as directed, developed an improved wages offer, that includes consideration of CPI and has communicated with our team members that we intend, consistent with our good faith bargaining obligations and as per the direction from the Fair Work Commission, to table that offer at the Monday 29 August 2022 conciliation conference.

“In truth, the delay in negotiations is entirely within the control of the MUA, for reasons best known to them they seem to want to avoid timely engagement with the industrial umpire.

“Darwin Port strongly encourages the MUA to return [as soon as possible] to the FWC conciliation conferences so that the improved wages offer can be tabled with the umpire and unnecessary industrial action can be avoided.

Mr Dummett said Darwin Port is committed to resolving the outstanding issues promptly and hopes that at the upcoming conference the parties would be able to address concerns and work toward finalising an agreement.

“If they have a pay offer, let’s see it, and then we can move on to finalising the other aspects of the employment agreement, but to promise it and then hold it back is just rank pigheadedness that undermines their relationship with the workforce,” Mr Smith said.

According to the MUA, Darwin Port workers will stop work for one hour from 1300 each day for seven days, beginning Friday 19 August.

An industrial action notice suggests there will also be indefinite bans from 19 August on non-rostered overtime work, transfers from workers’ primary positions, working during breaks and on making and receiving work-related phone calls outside of rostered hours.

The notice further advises of an indefinite ban limiting pilot vessel operations to 10 knots where safe to do so.

There will also be an indefinite ban on the use of workers’ dominant hand when using tools, including computers, when safe to do so.