MUA calls for gvt intervention

Date: 06 August 2008

The proposed private equity takeover of Asciano, the company operating Patricks Stevedores, represents a failure of government policy that will devastate the Australian waterfront, the Maritime Union of Australia warned today.

The MUA today called on the Rudd Government to take responsibility for regulating the nation's ports, accusing state governments and the ACCC of failing to create a viable environment for waterfront operators.

MUA national secretary Paddy Crumlin said the bid by Texas Pacific Group, announced yesterday, was a recipe for job cuts, union busting and asset stripping.

Mr Crumlin said all Australians should be concerned that one of the nation's two stevedoring companies would fall into the hands of a private equity group.

Just as with the attempt to takeover Qantas, we are looking at a corporateplay to seize a company that is critical to the national interest, Mr Crumlin said.

The MUA has been warning the ACCC for three years that our stevedoring companies risked becoming takeover targets.

With container trade projected to triple over the next 15 years, this takeover represents a significant risk to our national interest.

While the private equity bid is a matter for the shareholders the environment on our waterfront is a legitimate concern for waterfront workers and it is time for the federal government to step up and create a viable future for stevedoring.

For further information

Contact:	Paddy Crumlin
Union:	Maritime Union of Australia
Phone:	61 2 9267 9134
Email:	muano@mua.org.au
WWW:	http://mua.org.au/

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