Australian longshoremen are demanding a 28-hour week without pay reduction, as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation increases across Australia’s ports.
The AI push is being led by port logistics giant DP World, which the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) says is “setting its sights on” hiring workers.
“If DP World wants AI and automation, it must pay a social dividend. New technology does not need to take away our members’ jobs or put their livelihoods at risk just for terminal operators to increase their profits,” the union said.
The BBC has contacted DP World for comment and the MUA for further details.
Dubai-based DP World is increasingly testing AI tools to manage employees and work schedules at its operations, according to a study by the International Corporate Tax Responsibility 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 1,000 jobs, or more than 60% of port and maintenance personnel, the study said.
The company is also proposing the use of AI-assisted remote-controlled cranes and driverless vehicles.
In a July 3 statement, unions pushing for a 28-hour week said the technology “should be used to improve workers’ lives, not destroy them.”
According to the Australian Financial Review, which first reported on the negotiations, DP World’s dockers are currently expected to work 32 to 35 hours a week, depending on their location.
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.
In Australia, millions of shipping containers are transported each year through ports in Sydney, Melbourne, and other parts of the country.
The company operates in 84 countries, employs more than 126,000 people worldwide, and handles approximately one-tenth of the world’s container shipments.
