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Ports dispute ruining Auckland's good name - COC

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Mon, 16 Jan 2012 7:42a.m.

Union protesters

Union protesters

The good name of the Ports of Auckland has been lost on the international business stage, according to the city's Chamber of Commerce.

The Ports say the current dispute has cost them two multi-million-dollar shipping contracts, but the union is still not happy with conditions of work.

Auckland Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Michael Barnett says the business world is watching.

"We in name say that we're an international city, and we say that we're the premier port, but we've demonstrated that we're not," says Mr Barnett.

"We've seen significant shipping companies have to change the destination of their ships."

Bosses at the Ports of Auckland are looking to contract out more of the work as the dispute rumbles on.

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Comments

17 Jan 2012 07:30a.m.

Mike wrote:

The union is saying that the wages elsewhere are higher and the port is the problem. Garbage as it is 100% the union is the problem.

Change is needed. Its that simple and the union has its head stuck so far up itself it cant see that customers of the port need service as any business is driven by customers. But the union doesn't care about customers, to the union the customers can go rot in hell which indirectly will lead to no union jobs, and indirectly means the union doesn't care about its members but only the union contributions by its members which lets its officials to slack off even more than auckland wharfies for higher pay!

Take Container Rates (an hour) : Tauranga is ~65 while with almost 3x the staff Auckland is ~53 - this is the unions efficiency which Ports of Auckland needs to improve to be competitive while the union is wanting 'socialable hours' maintained.

The truth is that if the union want to move to some other 'slacker' wharf like some Austrailian ones mentioned, they will run into the problem that the Aussies might have something to say about NZ slackers taking their slacker jobs ... as those port jobs tightly controlled to stop them going to outsiders and NZ wharfies are outsiders to austrailian wharfies. Austrlian wharfies dont pay union subs to the NZ union so such a move would be lost union members and subs, so now the union is suggesting the a more drastic result for itself than the ports of auckland is asking. All the ports of Aukcland is asking is flexibility to handle the 24/7 schedule of shipping which the union has refused to even discuss, which is how Tauranga with around 1/3 the staff handles more containers than little ol Auckland - and they are nicer people to deal with!