Australian dock workers are demanding a 28-hour working week with no loss of pay as artificial intelligence and automation expand across the country’s ports. The push is being led by port logistics giant DP World, which the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) said has put workers’ jobs “in the crosshairs”.
The union said: “If DP World wants AI and automation, then they must pay the social dividend. 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.” DP World, based in Dubai and ultimately controlled by the emirate’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is increasingly testing AI tools to manage employees and work schedules, according to a study commissioned by the MUA from the Centre For International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research.
“Australian dock workers demand 28-hour week with no pay cut as AI threatens jobs at DP World ports”
The study said the automation programme threatens up to a thousand jobs – more than 60% of the dock and maintenance workforce – and is being pushed “without genuine consultation”. 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 MUA said in a statement on 3 July as it called for the 28-hour week. Workers are believed to currently work around 32 to 35 hours a week, depending on location, according to the Australian Financial Review.
DP World handles around a tenth of global container traffic, with operations in 84 countries and more than 126,000 employees. In Australia it moves millions of shipping containers each year through ports including Sydney and Melbourne. Last year, DP World’s Asia Pacific chief executive Glen Hilton said the company is using AI across the region to manage increasingly complex supply chains, calling the technology “no longer optional” but essential.
The dispute could set a precedent for how port industries worldwide negotiate the introduction of AI and automation.