The national secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), Paddy Crumlin, who is also the International President of the International Transport Workers Federation, has spoken out in support of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) in its "war" with the United States Maritime Union (USMX).

In a letter to ILO President Harold Daggett, Crumlin said: "The automation agenda pushed by USMX is a blatant union-busting act that will increase corporate profits while destroying the livelihoods of tens of thousands of maritime workers and their families around the world.

He added: "We are in step with the ILA in the fight against USMX...... USMX is trying to wage industrial war on the world's longshoremen and seafarers."

While Crumlin's comments had little impact on the dispute at the eastern and Gulf Coast ports, they could be seen as the basis for Daggett's radical threat to create a global "mega-union" once the dispute between the International Terminal Company and the U.S. Gulf Coast Port Union was resolved.

"I'm going to form a coalition with all the trade unions in the world," he announced in September. "We will have all the world's trade unions meet in Portugal; We will get the International Longshoremen's Council (IDC) to attend and I will invite the seafarers who manage all the vessels to come."

He added: "Take a company like Maersk, let's say it wants to go into Chile and build a fully automated terminal. If that happens, this alliance will come into effect and we will shut down Maersk operations around the world."

After three days of strike action in early October, ILA and USMX reached a tentative agreement on wages last month that will see ILA members receive a 62 percent pay increase. The two sides agreed to extend the current main contract until Jan. 15 and work to resolve remaining issues, which mostly revolve around automation.

But talks broke down more than a week ago, raising the risk of a new round of strikes in January.

In this week's newsletter podcast, Loadstar editor Gavin van Marle highlighted that the New Year's deadline coincides with a "set of" key circumstances that could make the first quarter of 25 a more chaotic period for the maritime industry.

"There will most likely be an ILA strike on the 15th, three business days after Donald Trump is inaugurated as president, five business days after the Lunar New Year, and then on February 1 the league will regroup," he explained.

"There are at least four major industry and geopolitical events that are converging - and it's all happening on top of the Red Sea crisis," Van Mal added.