COMBINE harvesters, header fronts, tractors and other agricultural machinery valued at more than $50 million, diverted to Adelaide and Melbourne, are mostly now back in Western Australia.
Farm Machinery & Industry Association (FM&IA) executive officer John Henchy said this week he was unaware of any problems with the massive three-State logistical exercise to get the equipment back to WA machinery dealers, pre-delivery serviced and out to customers.
"In terms of getting machinery back to dealers and then out to customers in time for harvest, everything seems to be pretty steady and nearly back on track as far as I'm aware," Mr Henchy said.
"We've been helped in that by the weather, it has put harvest back a bit and given us a bit more of a window (to get machinery back), which has been good."
But while the retrieval of Roll on Roll off (RoRo) agriculture machinery cargoes from Melbourne and Adelaide ports has been completed relatively smoothly, given the complexity of the operation, Mr Henchy said he was aware of some lingering delays at Fremantle Port with container cargoes.
This was affecting machinery dealers mainly awaiting parts for customers' machines pre-harvest, to strengthen inventories ahead of expected harvest peak demand and awaiting small implement delivery, he said.
A separate industrial action to the one which caused RoRo agricultural machinery to be diverted to Melbourne and Adelaide, but also involving Fremantle stevedore and port worker members of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) WA branch, was cancelled last Thursday after the Fremantle Port Authority agreed to meet with the union.
MUA WA members had threatened to stop mooring and unmooring container vessels operated by Ocean Network Express shipping line unless there was a meeting.
On the following day the MUA WA and Qube Ports reached agreement on 10 outstanding claims at the last of four scheduled conciliation meetings at the direction of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to end the dispute which saw RoRo agricultural cargoes, cars, mining and construction equipment delayed and diverted to Melbourne and Adelaide.
Strike action by MUA WA members employed by Qube started on July 31 over rostering, shift, safety and other ambit claims sought only by MUA WA members as part of a negotiation process on a new national enterprise agreement.
The MUA suspended its industrial action on Friday, October 15 and applied to the FWC to have the dispute go to arbitration.
However, while the dispute has ended, concerns about delays at Fremantle Port continue.
"The big concern for agricultural machinery dealers is that the problems they had in getting vital machinery into WA ahead of this harvest, could materialise again in a few months when they are waiting on delivery of seeding equipment," Mr Henchy said.
"But, we know now that at the first sign of trouble we get straight on to (Federal Industrial Relations Minister and WA senator) Michaela Cash.
"We warned the State government last time (that industrial action at the port had potential to disrupt this season's grain harvest by delaying equipment delivery) but they sat on their hands.
"The State government should have contacted Michaela Cash straight away and not waited."
Industrial action commentator, AMMA, has pointed out Section 3.10 of the Fair Work Regulations gives State Ports Minister Rita Saffioti the option of making an application under Section 424 of the Fair Work Act to the FWC to suspend or terminate protected industrial action on the grounds it is causing significant damage to Australia's economy.
As previously reported in Farm Weekly, five Wallenius Wilhelmsen RoRo ships carrying agricultural equipment, including 53 combine harvesters and 44 tractors bound for WA, were diverted in late September and early last month to Adelaide and Melbourne because of the MUA WA dispute with Qube.
Three of the ships had anchored in Gage Roads before they were diverted and one of them had docked for 25 hours at Fremantle's RoRo berth, but no stevedores were available during that time to drive the combines and tractors off onto the dock.
Two other ships were diverted to Melbourne while on their way to WA.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Oceania senior vice president logistics service, Kim Buoy, confirmed the company's services to Fremantle had resumed, with the MV Toreador and the MV Parsifal docking last week and discharging cars, agricultural machinery and mining and construction equipment.
Qube Ports director Michael Sousa said on Friday the company "welcomed the return to normal operating conditions" after the agreement with the MUA WA was reached.
"The agreement maintains the 1600 hours (4pm) final allocation of labour with draft rosters being issued at 1400 hours (2pm)," said Mr Sousa of the major change the MUA WA had sought in bringing next-day shift roster notifications forward by two hours for its members so they could better plan their time off.
"Keeping our stevedore operations active at the Port of Fremantle was our highest priority and we thank our customers who have worked alongside us throughout this period of time," he said.
The agreement has to be ratified by the FWC once a majority of MUA WA members have voted to accept it.
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