Australian dock workers are demanding a 28-hour work week with no loss of pay, as the country’s ports accelerate the use of artificial intelligence – a push led by the Dubai-based logistics giant DP World.
The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) said the company had put workers’ jobs “in the crosshairs”. In a statement on 3 July, the union called on DP World to pay a “social dividend” for introducing automation. “If DP World wants AI and automation, then they must pay the social dividend,” the union said. “The new technology doesn’t have to cost our members their jobs or put their livelihoods at risk just so a terminal operator can boost profits.”
“Australian dock workers demand a 28-hour week with no loss of pay as AI automation threatens jobs at DP World ports.”
According to a study by the Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research, commissioned by the MUA, DP World is increasingly testing AI tools to manage employees and work schedules. The automation programme threatens up to a thousand jobs – more than 60% of the dock and maintenance workforce. The company has also proposed the use of AI-assisted remote-control cranes and driverless vehicles.
The technology “should be used to improve workers’ lives, not destroy them,” the union said, as it pushed for a four-day working week. DP World dock workers currently work around 32 to 35 hours a week, depending on their location, according to the Australian Financial Review, which first reported the negotiations.
DP World, one of the world’s largest port operators, is ultimately controlled by Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In Australia, it moves millions of shipping containers each year through its ports in Sydney, Melbourne and elsewhere. Globally, it operates in 84 countries, employs more than 126,000 people, and handles roughly a tenth of all container traffic.
Last year, DP World’s Asia Pacific chief executive, Glen Hilton, said the company is using AI across ports in the region to manage increasingly complex supply chains, describing the technology as “no longer optional” but essential. The BBC has contacted DP World for comment.
The outcome of the negotiations – and whether automation will ultimately shrink the workforce or reshape the working week – remains uncertain.