Port continues to intimidate wharfies
by DANYA LEVY Last updated 14:00 12/04/2012
http://www.stuff.co.nz/
LATEST: The Ports of Auckland has rejected claims it is being
"paranoid" about unionised workers and says it has installed cameras
and security guards for health and safety reasons.
The Council of Trade Unions today said it was "outraged" striking
wharfies returning to work at the port last week had found security
cameras in all the straddler drivers and cranes, security guards in
their tearooms and a ban on wearing union paraphernalia.
CTU president Helen Kelly said the union believed the publicly-owned
port company was trying to intimidate port workers and the latest
moves had left wharfies feeling ''incredibly bullied''.
''They are staunch union people, they are proud of the stance they
took and they won't be bullied and intimidated.''
The company was spending ratepayer money on ''paranoia'', she said.
''It's a misuse of their power, it's a misuse of public money, it's
just unnecessary and it shows they have learnt nothing from their
human resources failures over the past four months.''
However, a spokeswoman for the Ports of Auckland said the CTU was
trying to deflect attention away from the real issues.
"That should be the union's focus in mediation today toward a
resolution of this lengthy dispute."
Health and safety and security issues had been discussed with Maritime
Union representatives prior to their return to work last week.
"It is the Port's responsibility to ensure the health and safety of
all staff," the spokeswoman said.
Kelly said no one wanted to work in front of a security camera all day
and security guards in the workers' tearoom was ''feeding into the
port's narrative that these workers are thugs''.
''It hasn't worked, the people of Auckland have got to know these
wharfies and are backing them.''
The port had also banned the wearing of union paraphernalia. Workers
in the past had ''proudly'' worn union badges and t-shirts to work,
she said.
''It's a message clearly that the port is anti-union.''
However, the spokeswoman said union and "Save our Ports" t-shirts were
visible on the port today.
Meanwhile, in a letter to the Maritime Union, the port has admitted
leaking personal employment details of a wharfie who spoke to the
media about the industrial dispute.
The right-wing blog Whale Oil last month published details of Cecil
Walker who was given nearly 21 weeks off work in 2007 and 2008 on full
pay because his wife was terminally ill.
In the letter, port chief executive Tony Gibson apologised for any
distress caused to Walker but said Walker had put himself in the
public domain by speaking to the media.
While the ports would not release personal details in the future, it
would still try to counter unbalanced stories about the dispute.
Labour's industrial relations spokeswoman Darien Fenton the port's
behaviour was ''utterly disgraceful''.
''You really have to ask a question about what sort of advice the
management is getting and who are they getting it from.
''Even though the two sides have been at loggerheads, you don't expect
a large publicly-owned port to act in that fashion.''
The port was supposed to be negotiating a collective contract with the
wharfies but was still treating them like the enemy, she said.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/
leaking personal employment details of a wharfie who spoke to the
media about the industrial dispute.
The right-wing blog Whale Oil last month published details of Cecil
Walker who was given nearly 21 weeks off work in 2007 and 2008 on full
pay because his wife was terminally ill.
In the letter, port chief executive Tony Gibson apologised for any
distress caused to Walker but said Walker had put himself in the
public domain by speaking to the media.
While the ports would not release personal details in the future, it
would still try to counter unbalanced stories about the dispute.
Labour's industrial relations spokeswoman Darien Fenton the port's
behaviour was ''utterly disgraceful''.
''You really have to ask a question about what sort of advice the
management is getting and who are they getting it from.
''Even though the two sides have been at loggerheads, you don't expect
a large publicly-owned port to act in that fashion.''
The port was supposed to be negotiating a collective contract with the
wharfies but was still treating them like the enemy, she said.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/
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