THE MARITIME Union’s WA branch has been fighting on two fronts this week.
The dispute between the union and CBH Group at the Kwinana Grain Terminal has escalated sharply in recent days, marking one of the most significant industrial flashpoints in WA’s bulk export sector since the 1980s.
And a little further up the road at Fremantle the MUA has successfully applied for a protected action ballot in relation to members employed under the stevedoring enterprise agreement at Fremantle Ports.
The ballot opened Tuesday and closes on Monday 8 September.
At Kwinana, on 1 September, CBH locked out the entire workforce at the grain terminal with less than 10 hours’ notice in response to rolling stoppages by 24 maintenance workers, who had refused to perform isolations—a task representing less than 10% of their daily duties.
CBH had previously cut pay by 91% for workers performing partial bans, offering just 9% of daily wages.
In response MUA WA Branch Secretary Will Tracey called the move “corporate bastardry,” accusing CBH of punishing workers during a cost-of-living crisis.
The union has been bargaining since March, seeking a 6% annual wage increase, while CBH has offered 2.5%, despite a reported $73.8 million surplus last financial year.
The lockout coincides with the September 1–15 maintenance window, the only scheduled shutdown before WA’s winter crop harvest and export season ramp up.
CBH says it has deployed contractors to maintain operations, but some contractors were reportedly not informed and have threatened to withdraw.
CBH and the unions have held 11 formal meetings over five months with CBH claiming the unions are pursuing 70 additional claims, while the MUA argues that workers at Kwinana are paid 5 to 10% less than those at CBH’s Metro Grain Centre.
At the Port of Fremantle, the union and port remain at odds over union claims of erosions of job security, pay integrity and fair rostering.
A bargaining meeting took place with Port management on Wednesday, and the MUA says its members will now have to decide whether to escalate or trust the port’s intentions.