Automation and the Labour Process in the Australian Container Port Industry

ABSTRACT Australian container ports have significantly higher rates of adoption of automated cargo handling equipment than their counterparts in other economically similar countries, despite comparatively small markets and container volumes. This study focuses on why automation has proliferated in the industry, how it has affected the labour process, and the outcomes for workers and employers. The transformation of working practices is considered in relation to industrial relations and labour process theory, specifically the role of technology in control, the geography and geographical specificity of work, and the nature of capitalist accumulation.