QUBE Ports has continued its refusal to re-enter negotiations with the MUA over the ongoing dispute at the Port of Fremantle, despite being called on to do so by WA Premier Mark McGowan, several Ministers and the Fair Work Commission.
QUBE is defending rostering practices where all workers at the port are notified by text at 4pm whether they will be working the next day.
This conduct by the employer makes it impossible for any of the port workers to plan the most basic elements of their lives, let alone save for their future or plan a holiday.
The MUA members in Fremantle are facing the same issue that millions of workers are facing across the country – insecure work is running rampant through the Australian workforce and we need action from the Morrison Government to address it.
Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:
“These workers are asking for the most basic elements of job security – knowing when their shifts will be. The refusal by QUBE to provide this certainty has led to an exhausted workforce and a less safe workplace.
“The entire union movement stands with the MUA members who are taking action in Fremantle. Industrial action is never taken lightly, and these workers would much rather sit down with QUBE and find an end to this dispute.
“By refusing to return to negotiations and find an end to this dispute, QUBE are holding the economy of WA to ransom as a bargaining tool.
“We thank the Fair Work Commission and the WA Government for doing the right thing and calling QUBE to the table, it’s now up to the employer to do the bare minimum and be part of the process that their actions set in motion.”
