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Ports of Auckland has suffered another blow with Fonterra pulling its trading - Source: ONE News -
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The Maritime Union says its standoff with Ports of Auckland has
spiralled out of control.
The admission comes as the union announces its sixth round of
strike action at the end of the month and the port talks tough.
The dispute stems from Ports of Auckland plans to potentially make all 320 union members redundant, and replace them with contractors on more flexible contracts.
Union boss Garry Parsloe says the dispute has turned into a political stoush.
"It does seem like that now. The two parties should step back, have a look at what the other party are wanting, and try and get something that both parties can live with," he told ONE News.
Port workers will down tools again for 24 hours on January 31.
Parsloe says the latest strike action is aimed at getting information about the port's plans.
"We put the strike notice out so that we could get a day that we could get everybody up to a meeting to inform all our members exactly what the employer intends to do to them," he said.
"They have a right to know their jobs are taken off them. They have a right to know that if they go back they'll be on inferior conditions."
The Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Federation of New Zealand says this dispute has escalated to a bitter, acrimonious labour stoush and that the union may be losing sight of the goal.
Parsloe says there is some truth in that.
"The goal has been lost. We started having some arguments around shuttles," he said.
"Then the argument shifted to asking people to come out of the union ... Then the argument shifted to writing to the families threatening that the jobs were going, and now it's shifted to contracting out."
A marathon six-hour mediation session last week failed to resolve the stand-off between the port and the Maritime Union (MUNZ), with the two parties "still miles apart".
While the union has issued its new threat of further strike action, it will meet again with port management on Friday.
Support from council
Twenty-eight Auckland Council local board members are throwing their support behind the striking workers.
Puketapapa Local Board member, Michael Wood, says like everyone else, he wants to see a reasonable settlement.
But he says that is not going to happen while the Ports of Auckland is taking such a hard line position and is threatening to contract out the workers' jobs.
Wood says no union or group of workers is going to agree to a settlement while the company is holding that axe over their heads.
Parsloe says the strike notice may be withdrawn if the company gives the union time to talk to its workers.
Port chief executive Tony Gibson described the strike notice as "highly irresponsible".
"This sixth strike will do nothing to end the dispute other than to strengthen our resolve to sort this out once and for all," Gibson said.
Gibson said the port would try to stay operational during the strike by using non-union staff.
"We will also continue to work with customers, other ports and the road transport industry to help minimise the impact of any stoppages."
- with Newstalk ZB
