Asciano urges fast action on IR change
Australia's largest listed ports and rail company has a heavily unionised workforce, especially in its container terminal business and has clashed frequently with the Maritime Union of Australia.
Asciano chairman Malcolm Broomhead told shareholders at its annual meeting that the company continued to be "burdened by an overregulated industrial relations environment".
While it supported the government's plan to review the Fair Work Act via the Productivity Commission, Mr Broomhead emphasised that "it is important to move towards appropriate change sooner rather than later".
Changes should be made to provide employers with "greater flexibility in agreement making and the ability to work directly with their employees to agree and implement workplace agreements", he said.
He also called for a tightening of workers' ability to take protected industrial action.
"The concept of 'genuinely trying to reach an agreement' is very loose and takes no account of whether claims are unrealistic, aggressive or whether negotiations have gone as far as they can," he told shareholders in Melbourne.
"This promotes drawn-out negotiations and sets up an adversarial environment between employee and employer."
But Australia's peak union body said Australian workers were "sick and tired of business trying to bluster" the new government into increasing the number of individual agreements.
"Workers know only too well that individual agreements deliver lower pay, worse conditions and less job security," ACTU president Ged Kearney said.
"What Mr Broomhead calls 'an overregulated industrial relations environment' is actually a system where workers have the chance to bargain collectively over pay and conditions."
Asciano was embroiled in an 18-month dispute with about 1200 wharfies at its four container terminals, which ended in the middle of last year with an accord over a new enterprise agreement.
The MUA has also fought Asciano's plans to automate its operations at Sydney's Port Botany, which would result in 270 jobs being lost.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
Asciano is urging the Abbott government to tighten industrial relations laws, particularly regarding workers' ability to take protected strike action. They believe changes should be made sooner rather than later to provide employers with greater flexibility in agreement-making.
Asciano supports changes to the Fair Work Act to allow employers more flexibility in making agreements directly with employees. They feel the current system is overregulated and promotes drawn-out negotiations, creating an adversarial environment.
Asciano views the current industrial relations environment as overregulated, which burdens their operations. They believe it leads to prolonged negotiations and adversarial relationships between employers and employees.
Unions, particularly the ACTU, have criticized Asciano's call for changes, arguing that individual agreements often result in lower pay, worse conditions, and less job security for workers. They believe the current system allows for collective bargaining over pay and conditions.
Asciano was involved in an 18-month dispute with about 1200 wharfies at its four container terminals, which concluded with a new enterprise agreement. They have also faced opposition from the MUA over plans to automate operations at Sydney's Port Botany.
Asciano's plans to automate operations at Sydney's Port Botany could result in the loss of 270 jobs, which has been a point of contention with the Maritime Union of Australia.
Asciano's chairman, Malcolm Broomhead, believes the current negotiation process is too loose and does not adequately address unrealistic or aggressive claims, leading to prolonged and adversarial negotiations.
For investors, Asciano's call for industrial relations changes highlights the company's focus on improving operational efficiency and reducing regulatory burdens, which could potentially impact its financial performance and competitiveness.
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