Mediation frustrating with Ports of Auckland

Media Release: Maritime Union of New Zealand
Monday March 26, 2012

Mediation frustrating with Ports of Auckland

Mediation between Ports of Auckland and the Maritime Union today failed to reach agreement on a return to work of Maritime Union members following the lifting of strike action last week.

Maritime Union president Garry Parsloe said the company insisted on its position being confidential so the union is unable to comment on the reasons for not reaching agreement. But the union did table a proposal to resolve the matter, copied below.

This proposal was rejected, Garry Parsloe said.

“Ports of Auckland continue to raise ‘ghost’ health and safety concerns in the media as the basis for what the union considers to be an unlawful breach of these workers’ employment agreements. This will be a matter for the Court to consider tomorrow,” he said.

“The company appears to have no plan for getting the Ports up and running again, nor concern for those clients being impacted by the disruption.”

“The union has tried multiple ways to resolve this dispute but the single focus of the Port to dismiss its workforce is overruling all common sense,” Garry Parsloe said.

The parties will go to Court tomorrow where this matter and other matters will be discussed.

Union proposal to Ports of Auckland today:

1. There will be an immediate return to work with all collective employment agreement obligations being met.
2. Compensation for lost wages arising from a refusal to allow return to work last week.
3. Meeting at 7 am tomorrow with all workers available to be addressed by Tony Gibson and Garry Parsloe setting out expected behaviour, arrangements etc (as offered by MUNZ through Russel McVeigh on 22.3.12 but not passed on).
4. Acknowledgement by way of joint statement that some parties on both sides may perceive health and safety risks but parties are actively cooperating to manage these perceptions.

Ends.

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