WORKERS at all four DP World terminals in Australia have approved new enterprise agreements after two and a half years of negotiations.

Employees on Monday voted in favour of a new EA at DP World Melbourne. This comes after workers approved new EAs at DPWA’s Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle terminals.

The new agreements are in place through the end of 2023.

In a statement, DPWA pointed out that there had been no industrial action at its east-coast terminals in five months.

“This stability has enabled the resumption of pre-bargaining levels of productivity and reduced congestion in the Australian network,” the statement said.

DP World Australia chief operating officer Andrew Adam said DPWA was proud of the enterprise agreements that are now in place.

“The agreements provide a strong and stable platform to encourage the growth of our business, secure fair terms for our employees, and support productivity improvements for our customers,” he said.

“All DP World terminals are operating normally and with no berthing delays. We are proud that we have had no industrial action for the last five months and have provided reliable service to our customers at our ports.”

Mr Adam said DPWA’s terminals continue to accept subcontracts, ad hoc callers and above contract exchanges, including empty container repositioning, during a time when shipping lines are experiencing extensive delays in overseas ports.

“While congestion, industrial unrest, performance, and pandemic-related issues have adversely impacted Australia’s containerised trade supply chain in recent months, DP World Australia has been operating above productivity expectations,” Mr Adam said.

“With the agreements locked away, we will continue to strengthen our focus towards improving our operations, enabling trade flow, and partnering with our customers to produce world-class trade solutions.”