Almost one hundred workers and community activists joined a three-hour picket on July 24 outside the Dubai-based logistics and port company DP World, at Port Botany, for better pay and conditions for security guards.
The picket, organised by the Maritime Union of Australia, Sydney branch, was called to add pressure to DP World which is refusing to accept a wage rise as part of the enterprise bargaining negotiations. Striking security guards, members of the MUA, receive $28.80 an hour.
Security guard Sam Mirza, an MUA delegate told Green Left that the job is “hard and very noisy” and that the workers are badly affected by pollution.
“We have 1500 trucks in and out every day; 50 an hour. We do 12 hour shifts, night and day. We have older security guards who have lost a lot of their hearing because of trucks’ brakes which make a lot of noise.
“Security guards have to walk up and down the site, do administrative work as well as secure two gates here and oversee two other entrances. It’s not a simple security job. We are only on $28 an hour and cost-of-living rises mean we have real problems making ends meet. A few of us are a few paychecks away from homelessness.
“DP World … is making billions, yet doesn’t want to pay us properly … We will take action again if needed. We’ve unionised almost everyone on this site and we are all determined to get what we are owed.”
DP World’s net profit rose by 32% last year to $1.96 billion.
MUA representatives Shane Reside, organiser, Paul Keating, branch secretary, Brad Dunn, negotiator and Paul McAleer, International Transport Federation spokesperson and Mirza addressed the picket.
Labor MLC Anthony D’Adam and Save Waterloo Estate residents Karyn Brown and Grant Donohue also spoke in solidarity with the striking workers’ claims.
[Rachel Evans is the Socialist Alliance’s candidate for the seat of Heffron in the 2027 election.]