MUA prosecutes Patrick

Date: 25 October 2000

Crippling injuries at Port Botany

Productivity gains at Patrick have come at a cost - crippling injuries to workers. An estimated one in four

wharfies (30 of 120 employees) at Port Botany container terminal suffer neck, shoulder and back injuries,

with dozens seeking physiotherapy. The situation in other states is no better.

The injuries result from labour cutbacks which force straddle operators to work day after day twisted

sideways in cramped, poorly designed cabins, with only one break, every shift.

The 10 metre high straddles, which carry containers to and fro between the ship, stack and trucks, require

operators to contort their bodies while driving sideways, their heads and necks twisted and strained up to

90 degrees for hours at a time. No straddles at Patrick enterprises have ergonomically designed seats

or dual controls.

Prior to the dispute in 1998 and the enterprise agreement of the same year, three operators were allocated

to each two straddles, ensuring job rotation and reducing strain. Down drivers worked lashing/unlashing

containers, driving light equipment, canteen cleaning and assisting clerical staff etc. But in the pursuit

of profits and higher share prices for parent company Lang Corp, Patrick cut back on drivers, job rotation

and breaks. This is despite current research and a series of reports recommending a maximum time frame

of four hours (in total) over an eight hour period for awkward working postures.

The Sydney branch is now prosecuting Patrick under Section 15 (1) of the NSW Occupational Health

and Safety Act on behalf of six Sydney straddle drivers.

Contact: Central NSW Branch Secretary Robert Coombs mobile: 0417 227 958

Assistant Branch Secretary Barry Robson mobile: 0407 235 685

For further information

Contact:	Zoe Reynolds
Union:	Maritime Union of Australia
Phone:	0417 229873
WWW:	http://mua.tcp.net.au/

LaborNET is proudly created, designed and programmed
by Social Change Online for the Labor Council of NSW
[Credits] [Site Matters]