The ITF continues to maintain its close watch on the situation in the port of Auckland, where earlier this year the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ), backed by the ITF and its global member unions, successfully resisted management plans to steamroller through a massive ‘restructuring’ plan. MUNZ and the management company, POAL, then entered government organised negotiations.
Steve Cotton, ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) acting general secretary, said: “The people of Auckland, the workers of the port and concerned New Zealanders everywhere have trusted that a negotiated solution will be achieved. POAL cannot hope to return to their attempts to thrust through massive change without any mandate to do so and in front of all those witnesses and their friends worldwide. We are once again putting POAL on notice that the entire ITF union community worldwide is backing MUNZ, justice and fair work pratices in New Zealand’s ports.”
Commenting on the allegation that POAL management have breached the rules laid down in the negotiations by leaking information, Cotton added: “These negotiations are mandated by the Employment Relations Authority and governed by strict rules that prohibit any jockeying for advantage by one-sided leaking. If POAL are proven to have broken those rules and conducted this kind of trickery then it raises the question of how serious they are about finding a fair, profitable and constructive solution to the problems they themselves created with their ill-advised plans.”
He continued: “Dockers’ and seafarers’ trade unions around the world are closely watching what is going on in New Zealand’s ports and we demand nothing less than fair treatment for our colleagues there, who are scrupulously following the rules laid down in these negotiations.”