Hundreds of protesters at the Port of Brisbane say they will maintain a picket line until Hutchison reverses its decision. (AAP: Dan Peled)
From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
Protesting workers have refused to unload the first cargo ship to arrive at Hutchison Port operations since the company sacked 97 workers in Brisbane and Sydney via email and text message last week.
The ship Capitaine Tasman arrived at Port Botany in Sydney about 9:30am on Monday, but went back out to sea about an hour later still fully laden.
Workers at the Port of Brisbane are blocking the road to Berth 11, where a ship was due to dock Monday morning but failed to arrive.
Picket lines were drawn at ports in both cities after Hutchison Ports Australia axed staff in messages about 11:30pm last Thursday, citing substantial financial losses.Australian dockworkers fired by text message. Shame on HPH.
Chanting demonstrators in Brisbane said the late night dismissals were disgraceful and un-Australian, and have vowed to continue the protest until the decision is reversed.
The Maritime Union of Australia is fighting the sackings through Fair Work Australia and the courts.
Bob Carnegie from the Maritime Union Australia (MUA) said his members were ready for a fight over the “horrific treatment of a group of average Australian workers”.
“We will win this dispute because our resolve is stronger, our belief is total, we are the wronged party,” he said.
“Hutchison have all the wealth in the world, Lee Karshing the major shareholder of HPH, is worth $46 billion, he’s the richest man in Asia.
“Well all of his billions of dollars can’t defeat us.”
“The company has hired [foreign] security guards on 457 visas that they brought in late at night over the water, not through the terminal … and they have no maritime industry security clearance cards.
“And to see that in this country the so-called security laws are being completely flouted by a major trans-national company is worrying in the extreme.”
