Queensland Treasurer Curtis Pitt

Queensland Treasurer Curtis Pitt called Hutchison Ports’s method of firing the workers a ‘cowardly act.’

Queensland Treasurer Curtis Pitt has joined unions protesting the sacking of almost 100 dockers by late-night texts and emails.

Hours before a Fair Work Commission hearing into the sacking of 97 Hutchison Ports workers in Sydney and Brisbane, Mr Pitt showed his solidarity with unions who have been picketing the company’s Port of Brisbane premises for four days.

The treasurer called Hutchison Ports’s method of firing the workers a “cowardly act”.

Mr Pitt urged the federal government to intervene and promised state government assistance for those who had been sacked.

“You do have support of your work colleagues, you’ve got the support of your friends and family, you’ve got the support of the broader community and you do certainly have the support of the Palaszczuk government,” he told protesters.

Maritime Union of Australia state secretary Bob Carnegie said the sackings were just another step in the company’s “sinister” plan to replace workers with machines.

More at the Sydney Morning Herald