Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

DP World, the Dubai state owned port operator, has announced it will dramatically increase the fees and charges for Australian companies and owner-drivers at ports across Australia. DP World are significantly raising their fees by a whopping 52.52 per cent in Melbourne, 38.8 per cent in Sydney and 37.5 per cent in Brisbane. The company is also significantly raising import fees and various other charges on owner-drivers and low-margin transport companies by double-digit percentages. At the same time, DP World is refusing to come to the table and negotiate in good faith with its workforce and the Maritime Union on a new enterprise agreement.

DP World wants to force workers onto a new rostering system that would see workers receive an immediate real pay cut of up to 32 per cent, have to work additional weekend and night hours, and have a dramatic reduction in job security. As MUA national assistant secretary Adrian Evans said: 'The company refused to move on anything. They cancelled meetings and they issued inflammatory statements to members.' Now, this is even more staggering given DP World announced a staggering $5 billion profit last year.

We've got a foreign-state owned company extracting huge profits from vital national infrastructure, while ripping off their workforce and gouging Australian companies. Those opposite are always happy to cheer on shonky employers like DP World when they try and drive wages and conditions down. After all, low wages are a deliberate feature of Liberal-National coalition governments. I know which side I'm on. Be on the side of owner-drivers and hardworking maritime workers, and make sure that DP World does the right thing.