Local board members support wharfies

Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, January 18th, 2012 - 6 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, jobs, local government, privatisation, workers' rights - Tags:

[this should have published yesterday but I entered the wrong date in the schedule/ James]

The travesty of the Port of Auckland dispute is that we have a publicly-owned company trying to slash its workers’ pay so that it can try to undercut another majority publicly owned company that has already slashed wages, the only winners being the foreign shipping lines. Well, here’s some of our representatives standing up for Auckland workers.

—————————–

Local Board Members unite to oppose privatisation and contracting out at Ports of Auckland

In an unprecedented move, 28 Auckland Local Board members from 10 different Boards are uniting to call for Ports of Auckland to return to good faith bargaining and drop plans to outsource jobs at the port (a full list of Board Members is below).

“Ports of Auckland Ltd is a Council-owned company. We support its operational independence, but the current dispute has escalated to a strategic level.  We are particularly concerned that actions being taken by Port management, including what appears to be a pre-determined strategy to contract out port jobs, are inflaming matters”, say the Board members.

Internal POAL strategy documents released last week show that Ports management was considering a contracting out strategy well in advance of negotiations. http://www.munz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/poal_labour_strategy.pdf

“Along with everyone else involved, we recognise the need for competitive levels of operational efficiency at the port. But Port management’s proposal to fire a skilled workforce and contract out their jobs to an external provider, with few work-life balance protections for employees and their families, is not the best way to achieve this.”

“We believe that Ports of Auckland has a responsibility to be a good employer, and to live up to the principles that its 100% owner the Auckland Council promotes in the draft Auckland Plan and in numerous Local Board Plans. Driving Aucklanders’ employment conditions and job security down in a race to the bottom is no way to build the world’s most liveable city.”

“We’re also concerned that the dispute is being used as a wedge by some councillors and interest groups to promote port privatisation. We support Mayor Len Brown’s unequivocal pro-public ownership platform, and believe the Port CEO would be well advised to publicly support it too.”

“The details of any settlement are for the parties to negotiate, but it is quite clear to us that a way forward should be possible that improves productivity without privatisation and contracting out being threatened, neither of which are proven cures. We hope that Port management and the Maritime Union will take a constructive approach and negotiate a settlement in good faith on this basis”, conclude the Board members.

ENDS

Contact: Michael Wood – 022-659-6360

Full list of Local Board Members issuing this statement:
* Please note that each Board member issuing this statement does so in their own right only, and not on behalf of their Board.

Helga Arlington, Albert-Eden
Josephine Bartley, Maungakiekie-Tamaki
Leila Boyle, Maungakiekie-Tamak (Chair)
Jesse Chalmbers, Waitemata
Shale Chambers, Waitemata (Chair)
Pippa Coom, Waitemata
Christopher Dempsey, Waitemata
Graeme Easte, Albert-Eden
Carrol Elliot, Mangere-Otahuhu
Tunumafono Ava Fa’amoe, Otara-Papatoetoe
Julie Fairey, Puketapapa
Catherine Farmer, Whau
Grant Gillon, Kaipataki
John Gillon, Kaipataki
Mary Gush, Otara-Papatoetoe
Peter Haynes, Albert-Eden (Chair)
Neil Henderson, Waitakere Ranges
Richard Hills, Kaipataki
Chris Makoare, Maungakiekie-Tamaki
Greg Presland, Waitakere Ranges
Simon Randall, Maungakiekie-Tamaki
Tricia Reade, Waitemata
Denise Roche, Waiheke
Leau Peter Skelton, Mangere-Otahuhu (Chair)
Lydia Sosene, Mangere-Otahuhu
Alan Verrall, Maungakiekie-Tamaki
Michael Wood, Puketapapa
Denise Yates, Waitakere Ranges (Chair)

6 comments on “Local board members support wharfies ”

  1. just saying 1

    You little beauties!

    To bloggers Mickey and Julie – Respeck! (as Ali G would say).

  2. LynW 2

    That’s wonderful to see. Stand up and be counted.

  3. ximenes 3

    It is bloody disgraceful that after the party takes so much trouble electing a new 21st century leader that we end up with a wimp that is too frightened to even support the very people that are the raison d’etre for the parties existence.
    After issuing a presser that sounds remarkably like what we would expect from he National Party one is wondering if the party is now aspiring to be the new ‘Blue Labour’
    If Shearer can not represent us then he can go and we will get someone who can. It is time we looked at the Greens model of selecting leaders where the whole party can have input as its obvious the current system cannot seem to find a suitable leader.

    How about the real Labour Party starting to flex its muscles and tell the executive what we want.

    • millsy 3.1

      Eventually Labour will end up having no option but to pick a side.

      I have a feeling that this is not going to end peacefully. Gibson is hell-bent on breaking the union and outsourcing the workforce (goes to show really how he values his workers, if he wants another company to employ them, effectively washing his hands of them)

  4. JonL 4

    “If Shearer can not represent us then he can go and we will get someone who can.”

    Well – they better act fast – I know of 3 staunch labour supporters who have finally given up after this latest vacillation and non support.
    I gave up years ago!
    Being given a Democrat/Republican style choice of main parties, doesn’t wash under MMP – we actually have other options….

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.