It looks like PoAL is gearing up for another go at their workers as the one year carry-over from the collective agreement runs out. As Matt McCarten points out:
In two weeks the wharfies union’s employment agreement lapses. The term of the document actually expired a year ago, but legally if a new agreement isn’t reached then it stays in force, protecting employees’ wages and conditions, for another 12 months.
On the 30th of this month union workers will default to individual contracts and then the Ports of Auckland could, according to my sources, restart their failed contracting-out campaign.
This time, rather than use the ongoing PR disaster that is Cameron Slater to carry their message, they’ve got their mate Rodney Hide to run their smears for them (remember he’s the man responsible for them a) getting their jobs and b) not having any responsibility to their bosses – the people of Auckland).
It seems to me that the board and management of PoAL haven’t learned their lesson from last time. I predict there will be another hard fight but that, once again, the union will prevail despite the playing field being tipped against them.
What I also predict is that the pathetic old corporate warriors who are driving this will walk away from their failure with their bonuses intact while the people of Auckland and the workers at PoAL will be the ones that have paid the price.
Rodney Hide and his ilk will bleat on about personal responsibility but he’s ensured the PoAL board and management will have to take no responsibility whatsoever for their failed ideological crusade. Like his dinosaur mates at PoAL, Hide’s just another cowardly and hypocritical Roark wannabe.
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