You have to feel sorry for the poor wharfies........... 4 days on 4 days off $ 90K a year............ no quality of life???????? Wtf??????????? Sack them all and give the jobs to peeps that want to do some work!? I'll take it anytime! Then you wonder why unions have such a bad name![}:)][}:)][}:)]

Would they let me work 2 days for $45K??

felixdcat, do you work on the wharf.. Exactly what knowledge would you have on working on the wharf that would let you make such a comment..Poor wharfies,.Did you know that the stevedore industry is the only industry in the world where the employers wont agree or sign off on general safety procedure standards, have you ever seen your mate squashed to death by rolls of steel that havent been secured properly by foreign workers, or worked under a rusty old ships cranes lifting 40 tonnes.. i have never heard of anyone having a 4 day roster for 90k on the wharf..
Working on the ships on a wharf is relatively dangerous, and people are paid as such, no more than builders that get height allowances for working over 6mts.
as for your statement,"no quality of life", are you aware of how the labour or roster systems work.. most stevedores dont get their work orders till 2.30pm for the following day, and as most are employed on a casual, GWE, or VSE basis then they may or may not actually get work..Do you think you could live not knowing exactly how much or even if your gonna get a pay check the next week..i know people that work in the industry that havent have work for weeks at a time... most company only guarantee 28hours a week unless your a suppo at which your not actually guaranteed any work.. so when you say quality of life, yes its hard to get any time for family stuff as most people are always on stand by for having to work..you may get a call 6pm for a shift that night which would require dropping whatever your doing to make money for the family.. I'd like to see you actually working on a ship lashing 40 ft containers with 3 high bars, all weighing in excess of 30kg each when theres 100 to hang, its bloody hard work
Unless you've worked on the wharf or no anything of the wharf i dont think you could fairly comment..

There's only a couple of groups that 4 day rosters, those being maintenance, reefer attendants and management.. Those that do it however do 12 hour shifts... It says no where in that article exactly what group is asking for the pay rise, it may not even be wharfies but others working on the wharf in the groups above... There's also nothing on the MUA website nor is there anything on their Facebook... Maybe it's just another media beat up

AUS175 said...
felixdcat, do you work on the wharf.. Exactly what knowledge would you have on working on the wharf that would let you make such a comment..Poor wharfies,.Did you know that the stevedore industry is the only industry in the world where the employers wont agree or sign off on general safety procedure standards, have you ever seen your mate squashed to death by rolls of steel that havent been secured properly by foreign workers, or worked under a rusty old ships cranes lifting 40 tonnes.. i have never heard of anyone having a 4 day roster for 90k on the wharf..
Working on the ships on a wharf is relatively dangerous, and people are paid as such, no more than builders that get height allowances for working over 6mts.
as for your statement,"no quality of life", are you aware of how the labour or roster systems work.. most stevedores dont get their work orders till 2.30pm for the following day, and as most are employed on a casual, GWE, or VSE basis then they may or may not actually get work..Do you think you could live not knowing exactly how much or even if your gonna get a pay check the next week..i know people that work in the industry that havent have work for weeks at a time... most company only guarantee 28hours a week unless your a suppo at which your not actually guaranteed any work.. so when you say quality of life, yes its hard to get any time for family stuff as most people are always on stand by for having to work..you may get a call 6pm for a shift that night which would require dropping whatever your doing to make money for the family.. I'd like to see you actually working on a ship lashing 40 ft containers with 3 high bars, all weighing in excess of 30kg each when theres 100 to hang, its bloody hard work
Unless you've worked on the wharf or no anything of the wharf i dont think you could fairly comment..

I am not sure of what is the situation in Victoria but our WA wharfie are getting 90 k a year for 4 day on 4 days off ( the union boss was on radio an admitted to it) what they want is 12 % salary raise and a 4 days on 6 days off roster. i have worked very hard in my life don't worry about that and safety was not that good few years ago............ did not see any body squashed to death but a few burnt to a crumb by electrocution as well of one dying of been suspended in a safety harness for 2 hours in -20c after a fall, none of them were getting such pays and conditions of work as wharfie............ I had to wok 10 hours a day 5 days a week and was not getting payed for my breaks and lunch time and lot less than 90k a year. I am not that young anymore but I think I could do a “hard” shift of 4x 12 hours (minus lunch and breaks time) days in a row for 90k a year. Carrying 30 kg bars on containers????? I don't think so........... There is a machine called a crane to help with it!
Are you one of them mate?

wodgina6722 said...

felixdcat said...

You have to feel sorry for the poor wharfies........... 4 days on 4 days off $ 90K a year............ no quality of life???????? Wtf??????????? Sack them all and give the jobs to peeps that want to do some work!? I'll take it anytime! Then you wonder why unions have such a bad name![}:)][}:)][}:)]

Why don't you stand up for yourself and demand your slice of the pie?

Because you can't be arssed.

You have to be born and bred in to be member of the club![}:)]
And I am happy with my job as well, pay is not as good but.............

I applied for the job on seek and I have no family on the wharf, although it seems to help a lot with promotions

I counted 200 ships at anchor between Sydney and Newcastle waiting for a dock, apparently they sit for months out there playing cards. It really made me think why it's taking so long to turn around a ship.....I would start work tommorow if they let me in the door!

Keep going felix you might be able to get a job as one of Colins spin doctors.

I hear they get paid twice what the wharfies are after

Why is it cheaper to get a container from USA to Melb about 15000 kms than one from Melb to Devonport Tas, about 400 kms ? Some one is ripping us off

AUS175 said...
felixdcat, do you work on the wharf.. Exactly what knowledge would you have on working on the wharf that would let you make such a comment..Poor wharfies,.Did you know that the stevedore industry is the only industry in the world where the employers wont agree or sign off on general safety procedure standards, have you ever seen your mate squashed to death by rolls of steel that havent been secured properly by foreign workers, or worked under a rusty old ships cranes lifting 40 tonnes.. i have never heard of anyone having a 4 day roster for 90k on the wharf..
Working on the ships on a wharf is relatively dangerous, and people are paid as such, no more than builders that get height allowances for working over 6mts.
as for your statement,"no quality of life", are you aware of how the labour or roster systems work.. most stevedores dont get their work orders till 2.30pm for the following day, and as most are employed on a casual, GWE, or VSE basis then they may or may not actually get work..Do you think you could live not knowing exactly how much or even if your gonna get a pay check the next week..i know people that work in the industry that havent have work for weeks at a time... most company only guarantee 28hours a week unless your a suppo at which your not actually guaranteed any work.. so when you say quality of life, yes its hard to get any time for family stuff as most people are always on stand by for having to work..you may get a call 6pm for a shift that night which would require dropping whatever your doing to make money for the family.. I'd like to see you actually working on a ship lashing 40 ft containers with 3 high bars, all weighing in excess of 30kg each when theres 100 to hang, its bloody hard work
Unless you've worked on the wharf or no anything of the wharf i dont think you could fairly comment..

Right on brother.....the containers of animal hides made me want to retch, especially in 40c heat. I used to smear Vicks in my nostrils to dull the vomit inducing stench. The lashing bars are not that heavy, at least the singles aren't, however the double bars are more awkward than heavy. Like every manual labour job, it gets easier with time/experience. Driving the ITV or working the Pin Bin is where it is at Best student job I ever had.

Sounds like they need some terminal automation, autonomous loaders required stat! ^_^ It's only a matter of time anyway.

In all seriousness I don't really understand how the MUA can stand there crying poor asking for a 4on-6off roster plus a 12% pay rise when half the world is in the **** and the overall economic outlook looks sketchy; that said I haven't seen any real detail of their issues/proposal. No quality of life, cry me a river, don't like shift work do something else...oh that's right not much else this side of the Pilbara pays so much for effectively unskilled work.

^^^ or come home at 2am from a 12hr shift covered head-to-toe with cow sh!t (from loading feedlot dairy cows fyi). I recently picked up a casual position on the wharf & have to call at 5pm each day to see if I have an order the following day. Currently on about 1 shift per week (so nowhere near 90k - more like 9k!), which is good seeing that I work for myself in a totally unrelated occupation. I had to have a Q-fever shot in order to fulfil my employee agreement too - which is worth googling!

Most safe working procedures are international (maritime) and nowhere near Aus worksafe procedures. As mentioned above - you're relying on chinese & indian (as examples only) loaded cargo where human safety is of minimal importance.

Even if the (90k) stats were true - what about whining about the fifo miners 4&2 on 150-200k? Grass is always greener (if you're a green-eyed sort of person).

Love these Mua stories/r guments really make me laugh.

Had one friend who worked in the port in freo(and this is the truth) was told to slow down and not work so by the retards running the show, retard a member of said union. When this bloke worked with me he was known as the human bobcat, hard working, honest, **** labouring job but put in every day and got paid accordingly for a semi/low skilled position. He quit the port because of this attitude, couldnt stand around all day doing f a, taking the piss out the very people who pay him.
Another bloke who i know stuck it out and they brainwashed him, totaly sucked in lazy b stard and continues with story of poor me and my brothers.

Aus175 sounds like they have got to you as well, its hardly skilled work cmon.
You dont have to make numerous mathematical equations to ensure a skyscraper doesnt fall down or have know that if you cut that artery your patient is dead, you just have to look where your going with a bit of hand eye co-ordination, responsibility factor is pretty low, do your 10-12 hours, go home forget about it, hard like lots of jobs, yes, skilled, no.

CFMEU have held numerous companies to ransom once they have majority holding on the site, there tactics are pathetic and not necassary, u dont see that scotish pratt out in the bush fighting for the low wages out there, no the cameras dont bother going there and wont do his re-election chances any favours to his cushy 150k plus a year job.

The idea that most(not all) employers are abusing, providing unsafe workplaces, not paying the going rate is absolute bull, Australia is one of the most regulated workplaces in the world and it is very difficult to get away with any of the above for any length of time

Out dated ideas not for this world, jobs for the boys, you said it Aus175.

Why arent they asking for all thier shift to be designated and a set working roster then, no they want 4 on 6 off regardless, less work and more pay go away.

p.s I also came by my job via seek.com

the family/secret handshake employees were on the wayout and really held no sway, but were noticeably the biggest whingers..

and port workers safety conditions were/are abhorrent...

felixdcat said...

AUS175 said...
felixdcat, do you work on the wharf.. Exactly what knowledge would you have on working on the wharf that would let you make such a comment..Poor wharfies,.Did you know that the stevedore industry is the only industry in the world where the employers wont agree or sign off on general safety procedure standards, have you ever seen your mate squashed to death by rolls of steel that havent been secured properly by foreign workers, or worked under a rusty old ships cranes lifting 40 tonnes.. i have never heard of anyone having a 4 day roster for 90k on the wharf..
Working on the ships on a wharf is relatively dangerous, and people are paid as such, no more than builders that get height allowances for working over 6mts.
as for your statement,"no quality of life", are you aware of how the labour or roster systems work.. most stevedores dont get their work orders till 2.30pm for the following day, and as most are employed on a casual, GWE, or VSE basis then they may or may not actually get work..Do you think you could live not knowing exactly how much or even if your gonna get a pay check the next week..i know people that work in the industry that havent have work for weeks at a time... most company only guarantee 28hours a week unless your a suppo at which your not actually guaranteed any work.. so when you say quality of life, yes its hard to get any time for family stuff as most people are always on stand by for having to work..you may get a call 6pm for a shift that night which would require dropping whatever your doing to make money for the family.. I'd like to see you actually working on a ship lashing 40 ft containers with 3 high bars, all weighing in excess of 30kg each when theres 100 to hang, its bloody hard work
Unless you've worked on the wharf or no anything of the wharf i dont think you could fairly comment..

I am not sure of what is the situation in Victoria but our WA wharfie are getting 90 k a year for 4 day on 4 days off ( the union boss was on radio an admitted to it) what they want is 12 % salary raise and a 4 days on 6 days off roster. i have worked very hard in my life don't worry about that and safety was not that good few years ago............ did not see any body squashed to death but a few burnt to a crumb by electrocution as well of one dying of been suspended in a safety harness for 2 hours in -20c after a fall, none of them were getting such pays and conditions of work as wharfie............ I had to wok 10 hours a day 5 days a week and was not getting payed for my breaks and lunch time and lot less than 90k a year. I am not that young anymore but I think I could do a “hard” shift of 4x 12 hours (minus lunch and breaks time) days in a row for 90k a year. Carrying 30 kg bars on containers????? I don't think so........... There is a machine called a crane to help with it!
Are you one of them mate?

We(wharfies) hear this ****e all the time. I put it down to jealousy now. Use to listen to it and care. Not anymore...
Port Authorty workers are the ones on strike in Freo(West Coast). Not all wharfies as our always correct media stated.
They are asking for work hours the same as most shift working companies these days. Nothing wrong with that.
I'm on a 3 week on 1 week off for 90k a year. 6 evenings 1st week, 5 days next, 7 days on my last week and there night shifts.
Any problem with that?