Australia dock workers call for 28-hour week in AI talks
Australian dockers are demanding a 28-hour work week with no loss of pay as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation becomes widespread in the nation’s ports.
The AI push is being led by port logistics giant DP World, which the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) says has put workers’ jobs “in the crosshairs”.
The union said: “If DP World wants AI and automation then they should pay social dividends. New technology does not have to cost our members their jobs or put their livelihoods at risk for a terminal operator to increase profits.”
The BBC has contacted DP World for comment and the MUA for further details.
DP World, headquartered in Dubai, is increasingly testing AI tools to manage employees and work schedules in its operations, according to a study by the International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research Center commissioned by MUA.
The automation program is part of a pattern of introducing AI into operations “without real consultation” and threatens up to a thousand jobs, more than 60% of the port and maintenance workforce, the study said.
He added that the company also proposes the use of artificial intelligence-supported remote-controlled cranes and driverless vehicles.
In a statement on July 3, the union called for a 28-hour work week and said technology “should be used to improve workers’ lives, not to destroy them.”
DP World dockers are currently believed to be working around 32 to 35 hours a week, depending on their location, according to the Australian Financial Review, which first reported the negotiations.
State-owned DP World is one of the world’s largest port operators and is ultimately controlled by Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Australia moves millions of shipping containers every year through its ports in Sydney, Melbourne and other parts of the country.
Operating in 84 countries and employing more than 126,000 people worldwide, the company manages approximately one tenth of global container traffic.
