Svitzer’s planned lockout at ports across Australia will not go ahead following a suspension from the Fair Work Commission (FWC).
Svitzer Australia, part of A.P. Moller – Maersk, gave notice of a lockout earlier this week.
The company has now posted an update on its website confirming that the FWC hearing is underway to decide whether the action is suspended or terminated.
The FWC will issue an order before 12.00 pm AEDT on 18 November, but action will not go ahead in the meantime.
Svitzer said: “On this basis, the lockout will not proceed and customers can return to planned shipping movements and recommence port operations.”
FWC suspended the industrial action as it posed a significant threat to Australia’s economy – impacting shipping operations at major metropolitan and regional Australian ports nationwide.
The planned lockout would have prevented shipping vessels from towing in or out of 17 Australian ports otherwise serviced by Svitzer.
The action was the result of a three-year long bargaining, as workers from the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers (AIMPE) and the Australian Maritime Officers Union (AMOU) tried to settle a pay deal with Svitzer Australia.