Wanted Women

Women on the march at P&O Port Botany

Women on the wharves are among the first items to get the nod from both P&O and the union.

Also on the mutually agreed list is the reintroduction of the Carmicheal vocational training scheme and more apprenticeships.

No longer will new recruits have to come through the back door, fumble their way into the job and have no job security, training or career path like these 16 women, who made up half of the recent recruitment of wharfies in Port Botany, Sydney. All 32 recruits are supps.

With the new enterprise agreement new recruits will have full training and the promise of a permanent job at the end if they make the grade. And women will be encouraged to apply.

An intense media campaign helped make sure dozens of women put their hands up for the Port Botany jobs, with stories and photos going in the local press, the Sydney Telegraph and the Sun Herald.