Maritime union wins temporary order against sacking of Hutchinson workers
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Version 0 of 1. Wharfies who were sacked by text messages and emails will be able to hold on to their jobs – for now. The news came late on Thursday night, after lawyers for the stevedore workers’ union waged a last-minute court battle. Nearly 100 workers were told late at night that their last day of employment with Hutchinson would be Friday, 14 August, in a move that triggered days of picketing at the company’s port facilities in Brisbane and Sydney. The Maritime Union of Australia took the matter to the federal court on Thursday, arguing Hutchison breached its enterprise agreement by failing to adequately consult workers and ignoring a dispute resolution clause before announcing the forced redundancies. In a late-night court sitting on Thursday, Justice Darryl Rangiah agreed to grant temporary orders that block Hutchison from going through with the sackings. But they also leave the MUA on the hook for wages paid in the coming weeks, should they lose the case when it heads to trial in September. |