Maritime Alert

Ports of Auckland dispute update 6 November 2013

Where we are at with the collective bargaining Comrades, on the 22 October 2013 your negotiators attended a settlement conference with POAL facilitated by retired judge, Travis. The outcome was that both parties commit to working towards a fatigue risk management system by means of a series of processes, one including a Health and Safety specialist Naomi Rodgers from Australia writing up the FRMS which is then to be agreed by consensus by both parties and tabled on the 25 November 2013 with further mediation if required by Travis. The unions position has not changed.

We will not compromise the safety or work life balance of our membership in the name of profit and productivity. Our goal has always been to deliver decent rosters and safe hours of work. The union has always shown a willingness to negotiate change and flexibility but not at the cost of what has been demanded at the table. Substantive hearing In terms of the hearing we felt it prudent to agree to adjourn the date for the court-case in the interest of progress even though we believe we have a very strong case and were very confident going into it.

Be assured the case has not gone but has been deferred. Our role as your advocates is to deliver on the mandate we were given and that is to negotiate and achieve a collective agreement before anything else. The lawyer will meet with the Employment Court on 28 November 2013 to discuss progress and look towards a new hearing date if we cannot achieve resolution.

Garry Parsloe President Local 13

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