"Productivity" for workers means job losses and higher workloads

Written by: Ned K. on 21 August 2025

(Above: There's not so much to laugh about out in the real world   Image: ABC News)

This week the federal government held its Productivity Round Table talkfest in Canberra.

In the same week the second largest stevedoring multinational DP World announced it intended automating its port operations in Australia to "lower running costs". The result will be greater profits and hundreds more MUA members out of work. The MUA members will fight this all the way. Stevedoring jobs are full time and relatively well paid "blue collar" jobs.

At the other end of the employment spectrum, some contract cleaners employed by a multinational cleaning company in an isolated outer suburban government-owned worksite started off as a cleaning team of 15 a couple of years ago. Two years later there are only 10 cleaners doing the work of 15. The multinational is in a public private partnership with a state government. These cleaners grimace when they hear the word "productivity". They experience it daily in the form of higher workloads.

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