Ports of Auckland

[Paul in NZ]

What are everyone’s feelings on the Ports of Auckland dispute?

It seems very odd the way this whole thing has gone. It's owned by the council who seem to have demanded bigger returns so the management look to cut costs and zoom shazoom everyones redundant after a short bitter dispute and the contractors move in.

I have to say I’m a bit confused about this. On one hand we bitch about the breakdown of the family unit but every year more and more traditional jobs with ‘normal’ working hours etc are going to a casual / contracting model..

I dunno – theres obviously an untold story here.

[Usarka]

All parties are cocks.

Port - casualised labour sucks
Union - self serving manipulative arseholes
Len Brown - pretending to give a shit so he doesn't lose sth auckland votes

[FROSTY:Me]

My view is that the idiots running the union need a HARD kick in the goolies.
They cost auckland millions of dollars in lost revenue. It becomes a self serving prophacy when now the ports need less staff. Go figure less work has to mean less staff.

[LankyBastard]

Interesting to read the infomation the Port placed in the Herald;

Port workers paid (now this may be an average i'm not sure) $91,000pa

Get 5 weeks annual leave.

Get 15 days sick leave per year.

Get paid for a 40 hour week but in reality only work 26 hours.

All up that adds to $65 per hour.

Not looking so working class anymore are they!! Hmm I may consider driving cranes at the port for that pay......

[Madness]

I struggle to understand how the port at Tauranga can be more competitive than Auckland when surely the majority of North Island container movements must start or finish at Auckland somewhere. How much would it cost to shift a 40' box between Auckland & Tauranga, either by road or rail?

[Reckless]

ah relax it'll sort itself out!

And the new expansion of the ports, the keep Auckland beautiful argument that hit the news last week to!

They'll argue for so long all the shipping companies will take their business elsewhere and we wont need a port!! It's already happening

Oh then all the export business will move out to follow the freight routes, cheaper rent, less congestion etc etc

Chilax!! Rush hour will be better without all that business in Auckland.

[JimO]

the union guy lost me when he called everyone comrades

[Maha]

What they dont realise is, all the tooting going on are from the employed or well kept people of Auckland, saying ''ah haaa suckers''.
Losers...in many ways to be honest.
Drones to the Union.

[pete376403]

I'd guess that the information published in the Harold was massaged to put the port workers in the worst possible light.

And I dont suppose that the port restructuring plan will require any 'flexibility" in paid working hours from the management either.

[nzmikey]

It pisses me off as all our shit get delayed due to these bastards wanking on about this that & the other & not unloading the ships that come in ......

So it does not just effect them , it effects all of us as a country, it has a knock on effect ........

[slofox]

One of my suppliers had a shipment diverted to Tauranga. Which was too busy to process it and sent it on to Napier. At which point it was unloaded and entrained back up to d'Auckland.

Guess who pays for all the extra freight? The guy waiting for his stock to arrive.

Personally, I'd kick the union's collective arse.

[JimO]

I'd guess that the information published in the Harold was massaged to put the port workers in the worst possible light.

And I dont suppose that the port restructuring plan will require any 'flexibility" in paid working hours from the management either.

no one is forcing them to stay they can fuck off and get a job elsewhere, of course they would need to join the real world

[Lucyloo]

[QUOTE=slofox;1130279553]One of my suppliers had a shipment diverted to Tauranga. Which was too busy to process it and sent it on to Napier. At which point it was unloaded and entrained back up to d'Auckland.

QUOTE]

A shipment of ours that was destined for Auckland instead had to go to Wellington where it was off loaded and then loaded onto another ship which bought it up to Tauranga where it was off loaded and then put on a train back to Auckland - Ho hum - a waste of time and money!

[rustic101]

When they stopped people entering the port this morning they failed to understand some of those people were not even related to POA, i.e 'Rescue' staff being denied access to their buildings and the Chopper etc. Banging on a female medics car calling her a stupid bitch because she would not answer their questions is not going to win you support from the Public.

Also those truckles get paid by the load I think, so in actual fact are the depriving them too, lets not mention the multiple people that were pissed off because they were stuck in traffic..

I think the union(s) need to have a good long look at their tactics.

O and also HTFU - I mean lets stop protesting because its raining, no wonder their productivity is down.

[Motu]

Nearly everyone I talk to these days has no idea of the Unions and strikes of the '60's and '70's. The way they solved that (apart from National banning Unions) was to contract out work. Lay off Telecom linesmen,(and big redundancy) and put them on contract. Petrol tanker drivers were a real problem, until the oil companies practically gave them the trucks so they could go owner driver...end of problem. Sure contractors can earn big money, but when there is no work, there is no income.

I'm not a union supporter, but I can see it from both sides. Before you run down Unions - how do you like the 40hr week ? Morning and afternoon smoko,lunch time? Holidays and sick days? Next time you have monday off on Labour Day, remember what's it's about.