Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union of New Zealand has gained international and national support for its stand against management plans to outsource labour at the Ports of Auckland.

Maritime Union Auckland Branch Local 13 President Garry Parsloe says outsourcing and contracting out are regarded by maritime workers around the world as a tool for attacking wages, conditions and job security.

“That is why maritime workers at the Ports of Auckland now have global commitments of solidarity and support for our battle against outsourcing.”

He says last week’s meeting of the International Transport Workers’ Federation in Berlin, Germany, offered its backing to the Maritime Union of New Zealand and its members at Ports of Auckland and passed a resolution of support.

“This is basically the top level of organized labour representing global maritime workers who have lined up behind us, as they are not prepared to allow outsourcing and contracting out be used against workers in a major port such as Auckland.”

The ITF meeting was attended by Mr Parsloe and Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood, along with global representatives of dock workers and seafarers including the Maritime Union of Australia and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (North America).

Mr Parsloe is convener of the New Zealand ITF affiliated unions who have also announced their support for the Maritime Union. These unions include MUNZ, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU), EPMU, National Distribution Union, New Zealand Merchant Service Guild and Aviation and Marine Engineers Association.

In addition the ITF Offshore Taskforce Group representing global offshore oil and gas workers has offered their support.

“The Maritime Union has also secured the backing of the international Mining and Maritime Unions which met last month in the United States of America.”

Mr Parsloe says the national affiliates of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions have pledged their support to the Maritime Union, meaning that the Maritime Union had massive international and nationwide backing.

He says in short the Ports of Auckland management must reconsider their position on outsourcing if they are to avoid major repercussions.

Mr Parsloe says that the current Collective Agreement between Ports of Auckland management and the Maritime Union already has provisions for labour flexibility to meet the peaks and troughs of shipping.

The ITF comprises 751 unions representing over 4,600,000 transport workers in 154 countries.

A meeting of around 150 Auckland maritime workers held today had a simple message for Ports of Auckland management about plans to outsource labour to outside contractors: “not this century.”
Maritime Union of New Zealand Auckland Local 13 Garry Parsloe says the high turnout at the stopwork meeting reflected the major concerns of workers about contracting out in the port.
Workers were not prepared to see casualization and contracting out used to undermine wages and conditions, he says.
Mr Parsloe says workers felt management had pre-planned the contracting out approach prior to the signing of the Collective Employment Agreement (CEA) in 2009, and their recent comments indicated would hide behind legalities to force the issue.
“Obviously there would have been no agreement if there had been any indication the company were going to go down this path.”
He says any future negotiations will be extremely difficult for the company if they pursued a contracting out strategy.
“Ports of Auckland management seem to have the unhappy knack of finally getting a workable document, finally starting to rebuild a workable relationship, and then kicking the whole thing over and stirring up problems for themselves and the workforce.”
Mr Parsloe says that the current CEA between the Ports of Auckland and the Maritime Union of New Zealand is a flexible document that allows the company to meet the “Peaks and Troughs” of shipping.
He says the reason why the port is not operating at full capacity is because the Company not made proper use of three shift a week guaranteed stevedores, known as Axis Ancillary Employees in the CEA.
“The shortfall in trained stevedores is creating large delays in cargo exchanges and it is now a common sight to see trucks backed up waiting for boxes in the port.”
“Outsourcing has little to do with efficiency and everything to do with casualizing the workforce.”
Mr Parsloe says the financial return to Auckland ratepayers from the Ports of Auckland had been substantial over the past five years, due to the efforts of the workforce at the Ports of Auckland.
He says that “parochial and destructive” competition between ports had resulted in shipping companies being charged unrealistically low rates, and management were now trying to “bleed workers” to make up the shortfall.
“Maritime workers are not going to have their wages and conditions attacked to prop up the profits of global shipping companies.”

The Maritime Union of New Zealand says outsourcing at Ports of Auckland cannot replace a skilled in-house workforce.
Maritime Union Auckland Branch Local 13 President Garry Parsloe says any moves to contract out work by port management would meet strong resistance.
Ports of Auckland Managing Director Jens Madsen has claimed in media interviews that outsourcing parts of Ports of Auckland’s workforce was being driven by the need to handle peak demand.
But Mr Parsloe says the workforce currently employed by the Port Company are one of the most flexible workforces in New Zealand.
“Maritime Union members at Ports of Auckland work 24/7 in all weather. They undertake highly skilled duties operating heavy equipment in a challenging environment.”
He says the focus of management should be on maintaining its current workforce at a level where it can service its customers.
Mr Parsloe says Mr Madsen’s claims that outsourcing was common practice overseas neglected to take into account that it was also a common source of major industrial conflict between management and workers.
Maritime workers around the world were fighting outsourcing and job insecurity tooth and nail.
“We have no doubt outsourcing will be used to reduce the terms and conditions that our members receive under the terms and conditions of the Collective Employment Agreement recently negotiated in good faith with the Company.”
He says workers feel that they have been deceived by the Port Company management following major redundancies in 2009.
Mr Parsloe says managers were warned at the time that they would be left understaffed.
He says the current agreement contains the flexibility to meet the ‘peaks and troughs’ of shipping.
“The outsourcing concept from the Ports of Auckland management is about trying to cover a lack of skilled, permanent staff. If it is such a good idea, why not outsource the managers?”
Mr Parsloe says during the global economic downturn, the hard work of maritime workers saw an increased profit of $4.6 million for the Ports of Auckland.
The profit from the Port Company is returned to the people of Auckland through the Auckland Regional Council and has contributed over $200 million in the past five years.