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Auckland waterside workers who began a crippling 48-hour strike yesterday morning say the peacefulness of their pickets should not be taken as any indication of weakness in their battle for better pay and conditions.
Police and security guards were left with little to do after the Maritime Union
set up highly-visible but orderly day-and-night pickets outside Ports of Auckland's two container terminals, where cranes and cargo straddle-carriers are expected to remain idle until the strike by 265 workers ends at 6.59am tomorrow.
"Our members are reporting to the picket line on a roster, just as if they were at work," said union branch president Denis Carlisle.
"This is a very disciplined, organised group of workers.
Port company spokeswoman Karen Bradshaw acknowledged that the pickets were "very peaceful", even to the point that managing director Jens Madsen felt comfortable about calling on striking workers at one of the sites yesterday morning, where he accepted an offer of a bacon sandwich.
But Mr Carlisle, whose union has served notices of two more three-hour "rolling" strikes over the next fortnight, said the workers were known for their tenacity and would not surrender to a bid by the company to compel them to accept a 3.25 per cent pay rise which it had controversially deposited into their bank accounts without permission.
Stevedore and union delegate Carl Findlay said: "We could not return to our union members with that sort of offer. It would be a disgrace to unions everywhere."
He said going on strike was the last thing he and his workmates wanted.
"But you have to draw a line somewhere. We are working around the clock in some of the harshest conditions - this is not just a 9 to 5 job."
The union is seeking a basic pay rise of 4.5 per cent to 4.9 per cent plus allowances, which the company says will add 10 per cent to 15 per cent to its labour bill, a calculation denied by the union.
Ms Bradshaw said Mr Madsen had enjoyed "a really nice chat" with some of the striking workers on the picket-line yesterday, although one of them told the Herald afterwards he considered the port chief's approach "a bit of a cheek."
Port human resources group manager Jon Baxter said he was continuing to work both with the union and a senior Labour Department mediator on a daily basis to try to resolve the dispute over terms of a new collective agreement to replace one which expired 10 months ago.
The strike has diverted one overseas container ship to Tauranga and caused various levels of disruption to five others, including a vessel which burned extra fuel to reach Auckland for a quick turnaround.
Mr Baxter blamed bad weather on Monday night rather than the waterfront workers for a failure to complete loading operations before the strike began at 7am yesterday. The ship was still able to leave for Port Chalmers.
Although the company has provided portable lavatories at both picket sites, Mr Carlisle said the workers were angry at "condescending" actions which included locking them out of staff toilets and carparks, under threat of trespass notices.
Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee, whose organisation owns the port company, has denied trying to gag other council members by asking them to leave any public comment on the dispute to the management and the unions.
Councillor Robyn Hughes, who is seeking re-election on the left-wing Residents Action Movement ticket, joined one of the pickets yesterday after issuing a press statement headlined: "I will not be gagged."
Mr Lee defended an email request to councillors to take "a cautious and circumspect approach" to media inquiries as being well short of a gagging order.
Ms Hughes said a doubling in value of the port company in six years had been achieved "on the backs of port workers".
