12 January 2012

Mediation frustrating, Port says

Ports of Auckland Chief Executive Tony Gibson said today’s marathon six-hour mediation session with the Maritime Union was frustrating, and that the union seems to be still failing to grasp the need for fundamental change.

"The parties are still miles apart. We reviewed some new proposals from the union, but they are only around the margins,” he says.

Mr Gibson acknowledged the presence of CTU President Helen Kelly for the first time at negotiations, and thanked her for trying to shift the focus back to mutually beneficial outcomes.

He confirmed the port had advised the Union that it will continue to progress its proposal to outsource its labour supply.

“The challenge for the union is to show us an appropriate counter offer that offers the same productivity benefits, and flexibility, by way of a Collective Agreement.

“Whatever the union comes up with has to stack up in a business sense compared to an outsourced labour model,” he said.

In announcing its contracting out proposal on Monday, the port made it clear that it remained committed to collective bargaining, but would advance the contracting out proposal as a parallel process.

“Right now though, we’re running out of time. Our customers are looking for a quick and definitive outcome. Our employees’ jobs are uncertain. We have to protect our existing business, win back the business we’ve lost, and put the foundations in place to achieve sustainable growth over the long term, in the interests of all stakeholders.

Gibson said the discussions were complex, particularly as issues on the agenda included not only the collective agreement, but the contracting out proposal, and redundancies underway as a result of the loss of business from Maersk and Fonterra.

ENDS

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