Shipping companies servicing the multi-billion-dollar offshore oil and gas sector have been hit by fresh disruption as the Maritime Union of Australia escalates industrial action in support of a claim for massive increases in allowances and wages.

After striking at the company, Farstad, union members yesterday shut
down offshore vessel operations for 48 hours at Total Marine Services.

And the union has obtained a ballot order from Fair Work Australia for strike action against another employer, Go Offshore.

In addition to a 30 per cent pay rise over three years, the MUA is
seeking a construction allowance that employers claim will cost up to
$500 a day per worker.

The union wants seafarers engaged in offshore construction to earn the same as riggers.

Employers have offered pay rises totalling more than 25 per cent during the negotiations but the offer has been rejected.

Australian Mines and Metals Association chief executive Steve Knott
said the latest strike activity “was a worrying development that had
the potential to threaten the livelihoods of thousands of other
hard-working Australians and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars”.

“I think most fair-minded Australians would be asking themselves how
anyone could justify asking for such an outlandish pay rise,
particularly at a time of such economic uncertainty,” he said.

“The bosses of the MUA West Australian division appear prepared to stop
at nothing in pursuit of unsustainable pay increases and allowances of
up to $3500 per week — $90,000 per annum — on top of an existing
minimum salary of at least $100,000.”

Mr Knott said employers were “genuinely afraid the MUA was clearly
determined to scuttle the entire industry in pursuit of a completely
unrealistic pay rise for a select few”.

“Every day the MUA union bosses demand these workers go out on strike,
thousands of other workers are also affected,” he said. “Projects get
delayed, employers are forced to postpone plans and investors start to
question why unions such as the MUA get away with holding the
Australian oil and gas sector to ransom.”

Source: The Australian

Search to find what you want

• Australian Maritime Strike threatens the economy – ACCI

    A series of labor strikes at Australian shipping companies servicing the oil and gas sector are a “national economic threat,” the? said Monday. Members of the Maritime Union have stopped work a number of times since November to demand increased wages, impacting the operations of companies such as Woodside Petroleum

• West Australia Government condemns Shipping Strike

    Western Australia’s Premier Colin Barnett Friday condemned a planned four-day strike against Total Marine Services, a key shipping supplier to the oil and gas industry. The Maritime Union of Australia at the start of this month held a 48-hour work stoppage at Total Marine Services, as part of rolling strike

• Finnish port workers strike continues

    Port workers in Finland have continued spot strikes to speed up labor contract talks with employers. Stevedores halted the loading and unloading of most cargo ships in two western ports on Wednesday after a similar 24-hour strike at seven ports a day earlier

• Finnish port strike continue Beset Shipping

    The wildcat strikes that afflicted seven Finnish ports on Tuesday could bode the start of a period of major disruption to the Nordic country’s freight transport infrastructure if labour issues between bosses and the stevedores union are not resolved soon.

• Improvements for seafarers

    Ongoing international negotiations between maritime employers and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) have resulted in improvements in seafarers’ working conditions despite the current economic downturn. Sixty delegates from 17 countries representing international maritime employers and the ITF, known as… Read at Improvements for seafarers

• Bahrain port workers call off planned industrial action

    Dockers in Bahrain have called off plans for industrial action at the Khalifa Bin Salman Port, it was reported on Monday. More than 400 Marine Port Union members were planning to protest at the official opening of the port on Wednesday. They were demanding a proper negotiation mechanism, transport allowances,

• Farstad be affected by strike

    Farstad Shipping has been advised that our Australian vessel operations will be affected by a two day stoppage of work on 17th and 18th November brought on by the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) which covers ratings and catering staff. The nature of the stoppage will potentially affect 17 of

• Gulf, Atlantic Coast dock workers OK contract extension

    The International Longshoremen’s Association, which represents many of the dock workers at the Port of Houston, has ratified a two-year contract extension, the union said today. In a vote Tuesday, almost 66 percent of ILA members voted for the two-year extension, which included some pay raises for stevedores but also

• Rio Tinto to explore possible JV with Chinalco

    Australian mining giant Rio Tinto is interested to set up a joint venture with Aluminum Corp of China, the largest alumina producer in the country, sources reported. Reportedly, Rio Tinto CEO Tom Albanese will meet executives of Chinalco during a trip to China in late March to discuss the possibility

• Previous international action Japanese Trade Union

    Trade unionists in countries visited by Dowa Line ships are taking action today in support of the All-Japan Seamen’s Union (JSU) which is being sued by the shipping company. The attempt to muzzle the union in the courts follows a rally called by the JSU in September 2009 outside Dowa’s

• USCG launches Web-based way to Mariner mandates

    offers employers open and rapid means of verifying the validity of merchant mariner credentials Read at USCG launches web-based way to verify of mariner credentials

• GDF Suez buys gas fields Australia game

    French energy giant GDF Suez has bought a 60-percent stake in Australian offshore gas fields held by Australian firm Santos for 200 million dollars (142 million euros), GDF Suez said on Tuesday. GDF Suez will also lead a joint venture with Santos to develop a floating plant to turn gas from

• Finnish port strike talks resume in order to

    Talks to end Finland’s nationwide port strike that has crippled the nation’s foreign trade will resume on Tuesday, March 16. The port employers’ association and the AKT transport workers union agreed to meet again after the government-appointed mediator called for a resumption of talks on the twelfth day of the

• Action needed to Norwegian offshore reflagging

    ITF seafarer representatives meeting in Berlin have warned that unless action is taken now there could soon be a situation where there are no Norwegian seafarers left in Norway’s offshore sector. The ITF’s joint seafarer and docker Fair Practices Committee voted today to act to support Norwegian unions after they

• Action needed to Norwegian offshore reflagging

    ITF seafarer representatives meeting in Berlin have warned that unless action is taken now there could soon be a situation where there are no Norwegian seafarers left in Norway’s offshore sector.