MARINE pilots working for Auriga in Melbourne have taken protected industrial action.
This followed an application made by the Australian Maritime Officers Union (AMOU) last month.
In a statement, Auriga Pilots Melbourne said it had been advised of a 24-hour stop-work action by pilots represented by the Australian Maritime Officers Union (AMOU), starting at 9am on Friday, 26 June and ending at 9am on Saturday, 27 June.
“Auriga has implemented contingency arrangements and does not anticipate any disruption to pilotage services during this period,” the statement read.
“Enterprise agreement negotiations remain ongoing, and Auriga continues to engage constructively with employee representatives in good faith.
“The safety of our people, customers and port operations remains our highest priority.”
Auriga said it would continue to monitor the situation closely and keep customers informed should circumstances change.
“As this matter relates to ongoing enterprise bargaining discussions, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time,” the company stated.
DCN approached the AMOU but had not received a comment at the time of publication.
The right to hold a ballot of AMOU members was granted by Commissioner Allison of the Fair Work Commission under Section 437 of the Fair Work Act 2009.
Auriga initially objected to the application and the matter was listed for a case management conference on 14 May, but the company notified the Commission that it withdrew its objections to the application.