A new report into the failure of the automation project at Ports of Auckland Limited (POAL) is a shocking indictment of previous management. What can be learned?
Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison says the independent report commissioned by Auckland City, and released today, had identified multiple failures in governance, oversight and accountability.
Mr Harrison says the costs of the fiasco will run into hundreds of millions of dollars when taking into account the delays caused by the project and reconfiguring the ports and plant to manual operation.
He says the Union red flagged the project time and again, as Union members worked on the ground at the Ports and identified numerous problems.
“Sadly, our concerns were disregarded at the time, but if the Board and Council had listened, the project would not have had this frankly disastrous outcome.”
He says the automation plan came on top of an anti-union agenda at the Ports under the leadership of former CEO Tony Gibson.
Mr Gibson is facing charges under health and safety legislation from his time as CEO when several deaths occurred at the Ports – and another Council report found massive failings in health and safety practice at the Ports during his tenure.
Mr Harrison says the decision to scrap the automation project by the incoming POAL CEO had been the only logical move, and there was now a more respectful relationship between senior management and the Union workforce at POAL.
“Ports of Auckland has a great future, but has to make up for a lost decade when an anti-worker, arrogant and unaccountable management culture was off the leash at the Ports – and lessons must be learned from what happened.”
Mr Harrison says as the Union’s previous warnings have been vindicated, the way to ensure better results in future was to have a Union member on the Board of Directors to represent the workers viewpoint, a common practice in many successful economies.
