National

Industrial umpire scraps Svitzer lockout

By AAP Newswire

Nov 18, 2022

A tugboat pushes a container ship at Port Botany — Tugboat operator Svitzer has ditched plans to lock out more than 580 workers across 17 ports. -AAP Image

Australia's industrial umpire has ordered a major tugboat operator to suspend its planned lockout of workers from ports across the country for six months.

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A full bench of the Fair Work Commission on Thursday ruled a lockout byÂ Svitzer would cause significant damage to the Australian economy and "endanger the welfare of the Australian population or part of it".

The commission on Friday published an order suspending Svitzer's action for six months from 11am AEDT.

The order will also mean no party can take protected industrial action for the period of suspension.

Full reasons will be published at a later date.

Svitzer had planned to lock out more than 580 workers indefinitely from Friday across 17 ports in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia.

In a statement, the Danish-owned company advised its customers of the ruling and that the lockout will not go ahead.

"The lockout will not proceed and customers can return to planned shipping movements and recommence port operations."

Svitzer announced the lockout of tugboat workers in response to a number of strikes over the past month due to a three-year bargaining dispute.

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke said the action would cripple supply chains.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press