1.   The executive director of the Australian Chamber of Shipping, Greg Bondar, said the waterfront strike has crippled shipping.

2.   West Coast waterfront strikes and other labor problems slowed the cargo even more.

3.   Labor unions said Saturday they will end a national waterfront strike and not go ahead with a threatened coal mining strike following negotiations with a major mining company.

4.   Ports around the country were at a standstill Friday after marathon talks between labor unions and employers failed to avert a five-day waterfront strike.

5.   Relations between the conservative government and maritime union are already strained, after the government threatened to use the military to break waterfront strikes.

6.   The MUA had threatened a nationwide waterfront strike if the sale went ahead without proper safeguards on conditions and staffing for Australian workers.