A further article will be in 'The Age' tomorrow (Tuesday 28...

A further article will be in 'The Age' tomorrow (Tuesday 28 September 2021):

"One of Australia’s main port operators says COVID-battered small and medium retailers will bear the brunt of “ugly” disruptions to stock supplies as Melbourne wharfies prepare to strike for much of October.

Patrick Terminals said on Monday the stop-work actions planned by the Maritime Union of Australia, over an 18-month dispute about workplace conditions, could cause shortages of imported electronics, furniture, white goods, sports gear and building materials in the run-up to Christmas.

But the union said Patrick, one of three major operators on Melbourne’s docks, was being alarmist, there was no threat to Christmas supplies and strikes need not go ahead if the dispute could be settled.

Large retailers said they were well placed to weather disruptions on the docks after being forced to build large stock inventories for anticipated bumper Christmas sales as COVID-19 caused international shipping havoc for much of the year.

But the industry’s main lobby group, the Australian Retailers Association, told The Age and The Sydney MorningHerald the wharfies’ decision to strike would probably have an outsized effect on smaller retailers that were less well prepared.

“This will have a big impact on small to medium-sized businesses, so we hope that the industrial dispute is resolved quickly,” association chief executive Paul Zahra said..."

(apparently VICT - Filipino owned - which operates Webb Dock in Melbourne, the 'third terminal' was hit by a COVID-19 case earlier in September with the implication being it had to shut down or reduce operations for an unspecified period).