Port of Auckland workers gain global support against outsourcing

The Mar­itime Union of New Zealand has gained inter­na­tion­al and nation­al sup­port for its stand against man­age­ment plans to out­source labour at the Ports of Auck­land.

Mar­itime Union Auck­land Branch Local 13 Pres­i­dent Gar­ry Parsloe says out­sourc­ing and con­tract­ing out are regard­ed by mar­itime work­ers around the world as a tool for attack­ing wages, con­di­tions and job secu­ri­ty.

“That is why mar­itime work­ers at the Ports of Auck­land now have glob­al com­mit­ments of sol­i­dar­i­ty and sup­port for our bat­tle against out­sourc­ing.”

He says last week’s meet­ing of the Inter­na­tion­al Trans­port Work­ers’ Fed­er­a­tion in Berlin, Ger­many, offered its back­ing to the Mar­itime Union of New Zealand and its mem­bers at Ports of Auck­land and passed a res­o­lu­tion of sup­port.

“This is basi­cal­ly the top lev­el of orga­nized labour rep­re­sent­ing glob­al mar­itime work­ers who have lined up behind us, as they are not pre­pared to allow out­sourc­ing and con­tract­ing out be used against work­ers in a major port such as Auck­land.”

The ITF meet­ing was attend­ed by Mr Parsloe and Mar­itime Union of New Zealand Gen­er­al Sec­re­tary Joe Fleet­wood, along with glob­al rep­re­sen­ta­tives of dock work­ers and sea­far­ers includ­ing the Mar­itime Union of Aus­tralia and the Inter­na­tion­al Long­shore and Ware­house Union (North Amer­i­ca).

Mr Parsloe is con­ven­er of the New Zealand ITF affil­i­at­ed unions who have also announced their sup­port for the Mar­itime Union. These unions include MUNZ, the Rail and Mar­itime Trans­port Union (RMTU), EPMU, Nation­al Dis­tri­b­u­tion Union, New Zealand Mer­chant Ser­vice Guild and Avi­a­tion and Marine Engi­neers Asso­ci­a­tion.

In addi­tion the ITF Off­shore Task­force Group rep­re­sent­ing glob­al off­shore oil and gas work­ers has offered their sup­port.

“The Mar­itime Union has also secured the back­ing of the inter­na­tion­al Min­ing and Mar­itime Unions which met last month in the Unit­ed States of Amer­i­ca.”

Mr Parsloe says the nation­al affil­i­ates of the New Zealand Coun­cil of Trade Unions have pledged their sup­port to the Mar­itime Union, mean­ing that the Mar­itime Union had mas­sive inter­na­tion­al and nation­wide back­ing.

He says in short the Ports of Auck­land man­age­ment must recon­sid­er their posi­tion on out­sourc­ing if they are to avoid major reper­cus­sions.

Mr Parsloe says that the cur­rent Col­lec­tive Agree­ment between Ports of Auck­land man­age­ment and the Mar­itime Union already has pro­vi­sions for labour flex­i­bil­i­ty to meet the peaks and troughs of ship­ping.

The ITF com­pris­es 751 unions rep­re­sent­ing over 4,600,000 trans­port work­ers in 154 coun­tries.