The wharfies union will take shipping company Hutchison Ports Australia to the Federal Court seeking damages for almost 100 workers who were sacked by text messages and emails.
The hearing will take place on Thursday, a week after the sacking of 97 of the company's 224 workers triggered ongoing blockades at Hutchison's docks in Brisbane and Sydney.
Maritime Union of Australia national secretary Paddy Crumlin said they will fight the company's "outrageous conduct" on two grounds in the legal action.
Firstly, they will allege the company breached its enterprise agreement by failing to adequately consult with respect to the redundancies.
The second claim is that Hutchison ignored the dispute resolution clause.
"We're outraged and the outpouring of community support for the sacked workers suggests the Australian public is too," Mr Crumlin said on Wednesday.
The union is seeking an injunction against the sackings, plus penalties and damages.
The hearing will take place in Sydney.
The company says the job cuts are necessary because it is downsizing after incurring substantial financial losses.
It has not returned media calls for comment since the redundancies became public.
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