Judge grants reprieve to wharf workers who were 'fired by text'

Wharf workers in Sydney and Brisbane, who were sacked by text message have won reprieve in court.

The 11th-hour battle of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) in the Federal Court secured court orders barring Hutchison Ports from terminating the employment of nearly 100 workers, the News.com.au reported.

The workers, who were informed by late-night text messages and emails that their last working day would be Friday, August 14, claimed that Hutchison had breached its enterprise agreement by not consulting workers and ignoring a dispute resolution clause before announcing the forced redundancies.

Justice Darryl Rangiah agreed to grant a temporary order in a late-night court sitting to block Hutchison from firing until a full hearing in September, saying that the applicant had demonstrated a prima facie case of breaches.

Meanwhile, Warren Smith from the MUA said that the decision reflected "basic justice," and it was a decision that every member of the Australian public who stood up for justice and for a fair go wanted to hear.