Striking wharf workers thinking of further action

By PAM GRAHAM

The 250 workers on a four-day strike at Ports of Auckland's two container terminals are considering giving notice of another strike.

A mediator has arranged a meeting between the company and workers for 9.30am tomorrow but workers could give notice of another strike at a stopwork meeting on Monday.

They must give two weeks' notice.

Apart from a truck narrowly missing a picket line, the first day of the strike at the port was not the most acrimonious in waterfront history. The company even let strikers use its cafeteria.

The movement of containerised goods through the country's largest port was halted and four ships are being diverted to other ports.

Auckland's toughest competitor, Port of Tauranga, will get the chance to show how it handles one of the big 4100 ships if it arrives as scheduled and is diverted.

Maritime Union Auckland president Denis Carlisle said the dispute was about a formula that allowed workers to progress from casual to permanent part-time and permanent full-time employment.

The company and workers are arguing about how many full-time jobs should be created and who should get them. The union wants a transparent promotion procedure it can police.

The company said it needed flexible staffing because work at the port had more peaks and troughs now that larger ships were arriving.

Only about 10 per cent of its workforce was casual, half the 25 per cent allowed.

Analysts said the cost to the port of the strike was only in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It was not a major concern unless the port got a reputation for bad industrial relations or if Tauranga seized the opportunity to build its relationship with P&O Nedlloyd, the shipper that brings in the 4100s.

Business people suspected the strike was part of a wider union drive against casual workers and to preserve union membership. Other ports are not as easily closed as Auckland's because stevedores are employed by outside firms and membership is with other unions.

Auckland wharves handling non-containerised cargo were working yesterday because they were stevedored by other companies. The Port of Onehunga was not affected.

Port of Lyttelton lost business in the past because its workforce lacked flexibility. It now works ships round the clock but is seeking an Employment Relations Authority ruling on the use of part-time workers.

The strike is due to finish at 6.59am on Sunday.