Open mike 12/03/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 12th, 2012 - 33 comments
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33 comments on “Open mike 12/03/2012 ”

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  1. Jenny 1
    12 March 2012 at 7:38 am

    Breaking news.

    Wharfies have promoted their protest pickets to hard pickets, blocking all entrance to the wharves.

    • higherstandard 1.1
      12 March 2012 at 7:55 am

      Isn’t that illegal ?

    • Bill 1.2
      12 March 2012 at 10:11 am

      Well, it’s a start. But having watched the vid up on stuff (link is provided by Olwyn comment 5), that kind of picket won’t ever work.

      Loose groups of picketers standing around are easily shoved aside by police and (hoping I don’t see a repeat of this!) retreating slowly backwards in front of a moving vehicle…something the union recommended in previous dispute…. is a recipe for a broken skull (you get pole axed cause your lower leg gets jammed under the fender)

      If they are serious they really need to sit down and lock down (yup, even in the rain) and chain themselves to gates etc.

      Seeing that the firefighters are on side and it’s not unknown for them to ‘forget’ pieces of cutting equipment…

      Anyway, all that aside, I’d be really interested to hear what the ‘danger to commuters’ actually was that convinced them to step aside.

  2. Jenny 2
    12 March 2012 at 7:51 am

    The workers have responded after the Port management, escalated the dispute by rejecting mediation talks called by the Mayor.

    This is just to much.

    This rogue management needs to brought to heel.

    • higherstandard 2.1
      12 March 2012 at 7:54 am

      They’re hardly going to accept mediation after having made the port staff redundant.

      • mickysavage 2.1.1
        12 March 2012 at 8:00 am

        Why not?  They have a court hearing in a couple of weeks time that could blow their strategy out of the water.  An entity owned by the public and with a legal obligation to be a good employer should be willing to take part in mediation doncha think?

        • higherstandard 2.1.1.1
          12 March 2012 at 8:08 am

          Not after this many months of failing to find common ground and certainly not while the other party to mediation continues to be on strike and attempting to blockade the ports.

          And besides who would want to sit in a room with that tool of a mayor pontificating left, right and centre.

          • Te Reo Putake 2.1.1.1.1
            12 March 2012 at 8:10 am

            The cruellest thing is that by rejecting his offer to mediate, POAL management have effectively turned Brown into a political eunuch. Despised by his activists, rejected by his new masters. Dead Mayor Walking.

            • Jenny 2.1.1.1.1.1
              12 March 2012 at 8:31 am

              In this case I actually think that Mayor Brown has put the nail in the coffin of PoAL’s case that they have negotiated in good faith.

              By refusing to negotiate PoAL have lost all legal and moral legitimacy.

              • Bored …
                12 March 2012 at 8:45 am

                They never had any moral legitimacy.

              • higherstandard …
                12 March 2012 at 8:48 am

                Jenny I think you’re stretching the bounds of credibility and I would trust that MUNZ will have better ammunition than that when they have their day in court.

                • Jenny …
                  13 March 2012 at 2:40 am

                  POAL management have said “Negotiations are ended”. There is actually nowhere in the legislation that says that one side can unilaterally declare that ‘Negotiations are ended’. In my opinion this statement alone is evidence of bad faith.

  3. phillip ure.. 3
    12 March 2012 at 8:28 am

    http://whoar.co.nz/2012/this-debate-will-no-longer-be-suppressed-legalizing-drugs-breaks-into-the-mainstream/

    “…Latin American leaders are increasingly speaking out against prohibition.

    And public opinion in America – especially when it comes to legalizing pot –

    – is shifting very rapidly…”

    phil-at-whoar.

  4. Bored 4
    12 March 2012 at 8:44 am

    Seems to me we are at a long past its use by date apex of neo lib ideology. World wide we are watching the extreme corruption of the democratic process by capital, this time its the financiers / banksters who are able to twist the governments to their purpose. Evidence…the lack of prosecution for corrupt practices on Wall St, the take over of Greek and Italian democracies by bank appointed “presidents” etc etc.

    Here in NZ we see the deliberate employer agitation in the industrial areas, wharfs and meat works designed at diminishing labour costs. We see the bankster Key for no rational economic reason planning the sale of state assets to his cohort of 1%s. In short theft made “legal”.

    My question is where will the response come from? I don’t see any ability for the democratic process to function in neo lib “democracies”. The Opposition here and overseas are toothless fellow roaders, not prepared to rock the boat. Look at the choice of Shearer here, nice middle of the road centrist who wont change a thing, merely put velvet gloves on the real issues of institutionalised unfairness.

    We are long overdue for radical reform, our leftist democratic parties have abrogated their responsibility to lead this. They have opened the door for extreme reaction. Wake up Labour, you are looking past your historical usefulness.

    • AAMC 4.1
      12 March 2012 at 9:19 am

      Neo-lib is clearly past it’s used by date, sadly the fact it still governs emphasizes more than anything to me the dysfunction of it’s opponents, as you’ve alluded Bored.

      If this era, post Lehman and the ensuing and ongoing fallout hasn’t provided all the ammunition required to fundamentally change direction, then what will.

      As long as the Left / Progressive / anarchist world remains so disparate and focused on individual issues, the Neo-Libs will maintain their hold, and as we’re seeing, cement it with a move towards Totalitarianism. I photographed the Port March on Saturday, it was a great turn out, not more than a dozen of those marchers – those who attend every march – were at the Occupy march last year, almost nobody was prepared to take to the streets in support of 350 org and the climate, almost none of the turnout against Mining last year were there, yet all of these issues are tied together.

      I hope that as Occupy heats up in the Northern Hemisphere spring, more will see the opportunity in a movement which places the challenge where it belongs and ties the issues together.

  5. Olwyn 5
    12 March 2012 at 9:36 am

    Go to the link below to vote for the port workers on Stuff:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/6559219/Port-protesters-block-entrance

    • Uturn 5.1
      12 March 2012 at 10:31 am

      “This morning Prime Minister John Key waded into the dispute, saying he expected most of the port workers would be re-employed by the port company as part of a casualised new work force. ”

      There it is: National and Key officially hitch their wagon. His comments are so last month in their currency and ingenuinely ignorant, that they are an over emphasis of just how much hostility he has for workers in NZ.

  6. ianmac 6
    12 March 2012 at 9:56 am

    There was a guest on Nine to Noon this morning who was very well informed on the Ports situation. He believes that there is much more to go; legal questions, mediation, political implications.
    This was the most highly informed speaker that I have yet heard. A must listen.
    Waiting for it to come online.

    • ianmac 6.1
      12 March 2012 at 10:09 am

      He was:”The significance of the Ports of Auckland dispute for industrial relations in NZ – Nigel Haworth, Professor of Human Resource Development at the University of Auckland and former Ports of Auckland board member.”

        • mickysavage 6.1.1.1
          12 March 2012 at 10:45 am

          Aye his comments were some of the most coherent on the subject that I have heard.  And he was previously on the board of POAL. Maybe he should be returned.

          • tc 6.1.1.1.1
            12 March 2012 at 11:11 am

            You can see why rortney had to have a new board as the old one contained competence in dealing with its workforce and understood a fair deal.

            NACT can’t have that as they want to sell it all off to their mates so gotta get a bunch of compliant Yes men fronted by ex mearsk man Gibson.

            Akl youve been sold out they’re just completing the transaction.

        • DH 6.1.1.2
          12 March 2012 at 12:01 pm

          Thanks ianmac, that’s a good interview. It was interesting to hear him talk about the possible grounds for legal action, he could only come up with points on the union side. He wouldn’t commit himself but I got the distinct impression he thought that MUNZ had the much stronger legal case on the good faith front.

          I’m curious to know who the three new ACIL members are that he referred to & who appointed them. Where did the 12% come from, the left or the right?

    • Ianupnorth 7.1
      12 March 2012 at 1:20 pm

      Cheers Muzza, interesting read.
       
      Funny how they use ‘Maersk’ as an exemplar, and also the bit on page 13 that says

      Potentially resulting in net wealth transfer from NZ owners of ports to international shipping lines

      The hub and spoke model works in airlines, hence why Melbourne and Sydney are able to monopolize traffic to the far east better than AKL. I guess the same would apply with ships.

  8. prism 8
    12 March 2012 at 12:02 pm

    This morning listening to Hooten and Josie Pagani – she reminds me of Deborah Coddington (all keen ideas but not much depth or useful background information to be gleaned).

    Hooten came up with sneering comment on MFAT diplomats being overpaid. He referred to their sophistication and the double degrees they have earned, and then rubbished them as if all that study was merely directed at gaining skills in obtaining a big income. I think Hooten was thinking of the skills picked up in an MBA.

    • Bored 8.1
      12 March 2012 at 2:34 pm

      Josie seems very light weight: she is very representative of the mealy mouthed middle of the road middle class social issues pinko liberal / economic issues dry boned neo lib type…..Oh, I must be talking about the bulk of the Labour MPs. She would fit right in.

    • Vicky32 8.2
      12 March 2012 at 6:05 pm

      Hooten came up with sneering comment on MFAT diplomats being overpaid.

      He sounded very angry and bitter as well. It’s a while since he’s sounded so emotional!

  9. prism 9
    12 March 2012 at 5:02 pm

    @ Bored
    😀

    But if you’ve got a moment – define “dry boned” . I haven’t caught up with that term.

    • ianmac 9.1
      12 March 2012 at 5:12 pm

      Maybe jaw-boned?

      • Bored 9.1.1
        12 March 2012 at 10:08 pm

        She does jaw bone us Ian, very badly with big bites. Dry boned she is, for Prism a dry bone is very brittle and lacks meat (substance)….no weight and very thin.

  10. Jenny 10
    12 March 2012 at 5:17 pm

    It’s interesting that PoAL management have not named the main contractor engaged to replace the unionised workforce.

    Only two temping companies Drake and Allied Work Force have been named so far.

    Neither even has a permanent workforce.

    Neither has the resources or the core infrastructure nor organisation in place to be able to run an operation like the Ports of Auckland.

    This would require the resources of one of the big institutional contracting firms.

    PoAL claim that they have such a firm signed up.

    Maybe they have, but you can bet, any signing will be conditional on PoAl ending the dispute with the Maritime Union in the management’s favour.

    This is the reason why the large contracting firm that could most likely have the ability and resources to do the job has not been named.

    This hesitation to name the main contractor and the reason behind it, gives the lie to claim by PoAL that the defeat of the Maritime union is a done deal.

    Their third preferred contracting out partner, doesn’t think so.

    We may never know the identity of this company, if MUNZ is the one to come out on top in this dispute. But I can’t help wondering which firm could be PoAL’s un-named main contractor at the Port?

    Just out of curiousity let’s speculate.

    The possible pool is quite small.

    For my money I would pick it to be one of the following big three:

    Transfield

    Downers

    Serco

    Of these three my most likely pick would be Serco. (Mainly because of it’s reputation as being viciously anti-union, and extremely right wing.)

    But I could easily be wrong.

    But what of the two publicly announced minnows (by comparison) companies AWF and DRAKE. What is their role?

    No doubt the owners of these two companies couldn’t get over their good fortune, but their role will only be as a Stalking Horse for one of the successful big three, the ultimate fate of AWF or Drake will be to be squeezed out by the successful main contractor.

    • Jenny 10.1
      12 March 2012 at 7:28 pm

      An annnouncement on the third stevedoring company that will be working with Ports of Auckland is expected shortly.

      Ports Of Auckland Media Release, Friday, March 09, 2012

      Yeah, Right.