TasPorts manoeuvres around union bans

PROTECTED industrial action in Tasmanian ports, scheduled to begin at 6am Saturday  [12 September], is manageable and should cause only minor delays, TasPorts believes.

The company has received formal notice from the Maritime Union of Australia and Australian Maritime Officers Union of PIA relating to eligible employees working in Launch Master and Vessel Traffic Services roles. It includes a four-hour work stoppage on Saturday morning and a range of ongoing work bans affecting marine operations.

TasPorts says it has reviewed the notified actions against scheduled vessel movements and confirmed the contingency arrangements available.

“Based on TasPorts' current assessment, the high-frequency Bass Strait freight and passenger services operating through Burnie and Devonport are not expected to be affected. Other pilot-exempt vessels operating through these ports are also expected to continue however maybe subject to some scheduling issues based on the extent of the industrial action,” the company said.

Vessels requiring pilotage and TasPorts-provided launch services will face several restrictions while the industrial action remains in place.

At Burnie, Devonport and Bell Bay, these movements will be limited to between 6.00am and 6.00pm, Monday to Friday. In Hobart, launch services will be unavailable from 6.00am on Saturday until further notice, affecting pilot launch transfers and bridge transit escort services.

With contingency arrangements in place, Vessel Traffic Services monitoring and coordination functions are not currently expected to be affected.

The latest PIA is similar to that advised by the unions on 6 August, but withdrawn before it was due to begin pending ongoing negotiations.

At that time MUA Tasmania branch secretary, Alisha Bull, said that, “despite months of discussions, TasPorts has failed to put forward an [enterprise agreement] offer that recognises the vital role these highly skilled, safety-critical workers perform every day".

Yesterday the union added members “deserve better conditions and wages that reflect industry standards and are in line with their mainland counterparts. Same work. Same responsibility.”

CEO Captain Allan Gray today said TasPorts was focused on maintaining safe operations and minimising disruption to customers and Tasmania's trade.

"We have worked through the notified actions in detail and put contingency arrangements in place to maintain services wherever it is safe and practical to do so," Captain Gray said.