Conlinxx at Port of Auckland

'During the term of the previous agreement, Ports of Auckland management contracted out the shuttle work to a company called Conlinxx, which they are the main owners of,' said Garry Parsloe, MUNZ President. 'Casualization and contracting out isn’t about productivity in our view, it is about taking advantage of workers by driving down their wages and conditions.'

Maritime Union of New Zealand National President Garry Parsloe says a major stumbling block in the current industrial dispute at Ports of Auckland is the contracting out of work covered in a signed collective employment agreement between the parties.

He says the Union is prepared to lift its strike notice in the new year, but needed an indication of good faith from management.

“We can work with the company to sort out a timeline on outstanding issues, but we need to see that the company is not just pursuing an exercise to casualize the entire workforce, which they have been threatening.”

Mr Parsloe says if Ports of Auckland management want to make a genuine show of good faith, they could make progress by ensuring the existing shuttles that move containers within the port are manned 24/7 by skilled workers trained to operate them.

Read more at the Maritime Union of New Zealand web site