The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and workers at four DP World container terminals across Australia have opposed company plans to introduce automation, saying the move would eliminate hundreds of jobs while failing to improve productivity.
According to the union, DP World itself has admitted that the automation project will not enhance waterfront productivity. The MUA said the initiative would increase pressure on supply chains, cause port blockages and negatively affect trucking companies and the wider community.
The union also noted that DP World has already raised its landside and trucking access charges in anticipation of the project.
“The only logical reason for the company’s enthusiasm for a costly project that will slow them down is to eliminate labour costs and increase the company’s already bloated $50 Billion profits,” the release stated, adding that profits are transferred offshore to shareholders and the Dubai Royal family.
The announcement of the automation plan came shortly after the conclusion of Enterprise Agreement negotiations, which the union said left the workforce without bargaining options to address the impacts.
MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin said: “Wharfies at Dubai Ports deserve better from this highly profitable company that pays next to no tax in Australia and our members have resolved to fight for as long as it takes to deliver outcomes acceptable to the workforce and consistent with the Australian community’s economic and social interest.”
The union’s position is that automation and artificial intelligence should only be introduced by agreement and where it provides community benefit.
“There is no business case for this project other than union busting and workforce elimination. The plan achieves no upsides for workers or the Australian economy,” Crumlin said.
MUA Assistant National Secretary Jake Field added: “Workers should not be thrown on the automation and AI scrapheap purely for the advantage of overseas shareholders or foreign governments with control of Australia’s seaport infrastructure.”
The union linked the dispute to the Albanese Government’s Productivity Roundtable, arguing that DP World is prioritising profitability over social and community benefit. Field said Australian wharfies have consistently lifted productivity, citing successive ACCC Container Monitoring Reports and past disputes such as the Patricks case.
“This is an overseas company wanting to carve out more profits while reducing the productivity gains that Australian wharfies have consistently delivered,” he said.
The Maritime Union of Australia is a division of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU). It represents maritime workers including seafarers, dock workers, and port employees, and engages in collective bargaining, workplace representation, and industry-wide campaigns.
DP World is a global logistics and container terminal operator headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is owned by Dubai World, a government holding company, and operates ports, terminals, and logistics facilities across more than 60 countries.