Auckland's striking port workers are looking to Australia for help.
The Ports of Auckland workers announced today they will strike for three weeks from tomorrow.
A delegation will travel to a conference of Maritime Union of Australia workers next week to seek both industrial and financial support.
CTU President Helen Kelly announced the strike move at an Auckland Council meeting.
She says workers have made as many concessions as possible which will include working up to 12 hour shifts, only getting paid for the number of overtime hours they work and also giving up their right not to work night shifts.
Ms Kelly says this is a last resort and workers have nothing to lose.
She says all port company has put on the table are demands for workers turn up when they want them to and threats to contract out labour.
Leaving aside our obviously naive and misguided opinion that it is the employer's perogative to ask workers to turn up at times when it wants them to, we can't help but wonder this; why isn't the Maritime Union turning to the New Zealand Labour Party, which it has previously supported with donations?
Could it be that the answer to that question is quite simple; that the New Zealand Labour Party knows deep down that the Maritime Union is fighting a losing battle?
5 comments:
Only 1 weekend in 4 off, oh dear I wish that I had a job like that. Someone needs to tell these clowns that when you work in an operation that goes for 24hours, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year a weekend off a month is pretty reasonable. If you dont like that arrangement go and get another job. It seems to me that they are well rewarded for the inconvenience that shift work brings. The Maritime Union is leading the lemmings over the cliff. I am sure that if the strike was voted on in a secret ballot the outcome of the vote would be different. It is so sad to watch this slow train wreck, and it is going to end in tears for the people employed by the POA. Parsloe, Kelly and their cronies will still be employed though, more's the pity.
seems MUNZ/CTU are also spreading the word to other sites .. my son, I didn't get all the story, said his delegate was telling them about how much the Ports boss gets paid blah blah blah so maybe it will spread within NZ as well
Jabba - I don't think they are getting much support through NZ other ports. A guy from Napier rang Danny Watson today saying he hoped they stay out as he and his mates at Napier are enjoing the extra hours.
I think there was also a guy from Wellington saying much the same.
When your mates turn against you the writing is on the wall I would think.
I must say PDM, the thing that has amazed me is the lack of support from other unions. They used to go out in support all the time .. times are changing and not even that awfull Kelly woman is getting anywhere
The coniving Kelly eh? Seems like dhe is going to go AGAINST a union wishes in the near future. All in the attraction of political attention. Watch this space .....
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