Australia

Australia Port Workers Press for 28-Hour Week Over Automation

Would this protect workers from AI or will automation create more jobs than it destroys?

Published 2 hours ago

Australia Port Workers Press for 28-Hour Week Over Automation

Story

Above: The Port of Brisbane in Brisbane, Australia, on Oct. 6, 2010. Image credit: Eric Taylor/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

For over a decade, DP World has paid no corporate income tax, and now it wants to pad shareholder returns even further by automating away 60% of its Australian workforce. This exploitation cannot be allowed to proceed, which is why, if DP World is committed to its AI proposals, it must implement a 28-hour workweek with no pay cut to give workers the bare minimum they deserve.

Maritime Union of Australia on Facebook Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research

Narrative B

History is crystal clear: every major wave of automation has created more jobs than it killed — AI will be no different. The MOU's demand for a 28-hour workweek is a redundant solution to a problem that re-skilling and smarter talent pipelines will address.

Gartner The New York Times