On one side we see a push to reduce wages to make the port more profitable with the excuse being that the workers need to be more flexible, and on the other we see a Union determined to protect worker's rights under the Employment Relations Act 2000 (PDF).
So what's the way forward when resolving the issues doesn't fit into what appears to be a pre-defined plan to privatise the port? The answer is to see some real leadership from the Auckland City Council and in particular Mayor Len Brown... who has been conspicuous by his absence.
Len Brown needs to brush aside the rhetoric that's doing nothing to help the two parties resolve the issues. He should disregard the divisive propaganda that has already been categorically disproved. It is time to stop talking around failed political ideology and the PoAL be made to act in the best interest of the port and its majority shareholders: the ratepayers of Auckland.
The Auckland City Council needs to act to ensure a resolution that does not involve destroying a Union, reducing workers remuneration or selling a profitable asset. New Zealand already has a fragile supply chain that cannot be squeezed further by international interests... we simply cannot allow our industries to be exploited by a few unprincipled individuals.
We cannot afford to have the PoAL use the dispute as a reason to privatise at the request of a few politicians hell bent on performing economic harakiri.
