Press Release from Maritime Union of NZ
No progress was made at today’s mediation with Ports of Auckland management over the employment dispute at the port. Maritime Union of New Zealand National President Garry Parsloe says that while the Union went in with a proposal to try and find a constructive way forward around productivity and job security, they were met with indifference from management.

He says the company refuses to come to a negotiated settlement and have continued with a “take it or leave it” approach to their offer, as well as simultaneously working on an outsourcing plan for the port workforce.

He says comments by management that workers seeking to maintain the one guaranteed weekend off they have every three weeks was “motherhood and apple pie stuff” revealed a great deal.

“This is a company that makes great claims in its corporate mission statement towards its concern for its workers’ wellbeing, but those values seem to have little to do with how they actually think and behave.”

Mr Parsloe says the attitude of arrogance and contempt of management towards the wellbeing and family life of its workforce was staggering.

He says senior officials from the Maritime Union and Council of Trade Unions who attended the meeting were extremely concerned.

“This is a company that is owned by the people of Auckland whose concept of social responsibility is nil.”

Mr Parsloe says the Ports of Auckland could be “torn apart” unless management started to negotiate.

“This port serves the importers and exporters of Auckland and is a public service. The owners of the asset must remove the management team before the value and future of our greatest asset is wrecked in the pursuit of an agenda that few Aucklanders agree with.”

Mr Parsloe says comments yesterday from ACIL CEO Gary Swift to Auckland city councillors that he supported the negotiation of a collective employment agreement between management and union at the port were being ignored by POAL management.

“It is now time for the owners of Ports of Auckland to pick up the telephone and tell port management to negotiate.”

Earlier Press Release – Maritime Union of New Zealand
The Maritime Union says the management of Ports of Auckland are “running amok” in the current industrial dispute, and are at odds with the Auckland City controlled company that owns them, ACIL.

Maritime Union National President Garry Parsloe says conflicting messages are coming from the management of the Ports of Auckland and ACIL.

“We have just walked out of a meeting this morning where Ports of Auckland management presented their plan to outsource labour at the port.

“But yesterday the Maritime Union attended a public meeting of an Auckland City council committee where ACIL CEO Gary Swift told councillors that ACIL saw outsourcing the workforce was a last resort and wanted a negotiated collective agreement at the Port.”

Mr Parsloe says he welcomed the comments of Mr Swift, but suggested ACIL and the Auckland City Council needed to communicate that view clearly to Ports of Auckland management.

“It is now time for the owners of this asset to take charge and demand that port management start to negotiate towards a collective settlement that can deliver productivity and secure jobs.”

He says port management were operating their own agenda and were causing massive harm to the credibility and reputation of the port in a number of areas, endangering jobs and the Auckland economy.

Press Release – Ports of Auckland
Mediation between Ports of Auckland and representatives of the Maritime Union of New Zealand – MUNZ (Local 13) has been adjourned after a 5 hour meeting today. There was a recognition that the time needed to manage the upcoming strikes made setting further dates difficult.

While there is no date set for further mediation, the parties have agreed to reconvene should either side have something new to bring to the table.

The week-long strike planned for February 24 will add further to the cost of the industrial action to date and it’s estimated that it will also cost MUNZ 289 members at the Port an estimated $450,000 in lost wages.