Strike Looming over Port Hedland

 
Teekay received the notice on Wednesday, August 5, stating that 52 members of the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers (AIMPE), will take industrial action and walk of their jobs for four hours on Monday morning,
The notice, served on Teekay on Wednesday, means the 52 members of the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers (AIMPE) will walk off the job for four hours on Saturday morning, four hours on Monday and Wednesday morning, August 10 and 12 respectively.
The move to strike comes after negotiations with Teekay failed to meet workers requests for maintaining shifts to 12 hours- Namely, as the workload at the port increases, workers have been faced with ever more often lonnger shifts, reaching up to 18hrs.
In order to keep the shifts at 12 hrs, Teekay would have to employ at least six more crews.
Teekay Shipping received a licence from BHP Billiton to operate towage services at Port Hedland.
If the industrial action materialises, it will mark the first time AIMPE members have left their posts at the Port.
The AIMPE stated that the four-hour actions are timed to fall on low tides, in order not to disrupt the Ports operation to a significant extent.
Ships being loaded with the iron ore will have the option of leaving the Port on the high tide, but the strike will significantly delay schedules of vessels waiting offshore.

World Maritime News Staff; August 6, 2014