Fed: P&O strife led to waterfront productivity dip survey

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-1999
Fed: P&O strife led to waterfront productivity dip survey

A survey has found that industrial problems as Australia's largest stevedore, P and
O Ports, cut its workforce by 30 per cent were mainly responsible for a slight drop in
wharf productivity.

The Bureau of Transport Economics survey for the September quarter found the big cuts,
which occurred during phasing in of new enterprise agreements, dragged back results at
the five major container ports.

The five-port crane rate, measuring container moves per hour, was 19.6 containers per
hour for the quarter, down from 20.3 in the June quarter.

The survey found that although there was a fall in the crane rate at all ports, the
net ship rate indicator rose at Sydney, Adelaide and Fremantle, reflecting higher crane
intensities, or the number of cranes used per ship.





Deep cuts to the workforce and changes to work practices have occurred on Australia's
waterfront stemming from a major dispute between the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA)
and Patrick, Australia's second largest stevedore last year.

The dispute came to a head when Patrick sacked the 1400 MUA workers in the middle of
the night on April 7.

The MUA workers returned to the wharves 100 days after the fight started but the changes
resulted from a negotiated settlement to let the workers return.

AAP RTV dep/jg/rcg

KEYWORD: DOCKS (CANBERRA)

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