21 March 2012

Time for port to end waterfront dispute

The Green Party says news that workers at the Ports of Auckland will resume negotiating their collective employment agreement without the threat of job losses highlights the weakness of the port company’s legal position.

“Companies only make these kind of back downs when their legal case is weak,” said Green Party industrial relations spokesperson Denise Roche.

“It is a tribute to the tenacity of the ports workers and their families that they have been able to further hold off the employer’s failed legal maneuverers to contract out their jobs and get back into bargaining.

“It is time for the post company to settle a fair agreement with their staff. The four week suspension of their plans to contract out the workers’ jobs is ample time to reach an agreement.

“People want this dispute over. The port company has no case so they need to reach settlement as soon as possible.

“It is likely that the contracting out would just result in the same skilled port workers being rehired but on much worse conditions. So they should go back to work now with safe jobs.

“I sincerely hope the contract can be settled quickly now that they port has run out of legal arguments,” said Roche.

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