New Zealand's largest container port faces an economically damaging pre-Christmas strike over a pay dispute which has festered for two years.
Ports of Auckland received notice only an hour before its annual Christmas party on Thursday night of a one-day strike in two weeks by hundreds of Maritime
Union waterside workers across most of its operations.
The union withdrew the notice late yesterday after discovering a technical error, but branch president Denis Carlisle said another would be issued on Monday - of a strike on Tuesday, December 2.
That will be against a wide range of port operations, including the two big Auckland container terminals and engineering workshops.
Only the port's general wharves and marine services such as tugs and hydrological survey work will be spared, failing a settlement in the next fortnight.
Ports company managing director Jens Madsen called the strike notice "disappointing, unnecessary and provocative" in difficult economic times.
Later, after being advised that a replacement notice would be issued next week, he said the union's behaviour was "verging on the shambolic".
He said the company would work with its customers to minimise the disruption while continuing to seek a settlement with the union.
But Mr Carlisle said it was the company that was being provocative, having made it increasingly difficult for the union to hold meetings for its members to make decisions on a way forward in the pay dispute.
The union called five strikes of varying lengths last year over the pay dispute, during which the company put a 3.25 per cent interim increase into its members' bank accounts without agreement.
An Employment Relations Authority mediator suggested a 4 per cent pay rise late last year, while describing relations between the company and union as extremely poor. A proposed settlement incorporating the recommendation fell apart in September.
Mr Carlisle said that was because the company added a clause by which casual workers would have replaced permanent staff on Mondays and Tuesdays, leaving his members open to more weekend duties.
Mr Madsen denied wanting to casualise the workforce, although he confirmed having to bring stevedores from elsewhere because of a particularly busy period.
