Ports of Auckland boss Tony Gibson is setting out to replace striking union workers with private contractors on the city’s troubled wharves.
In a sign that the long-running dispute between the Ports and the Maritime Union is escalating, Mr Gibson yesterday said he was “absolutely” prepared to replace 330 union jobs with private contractors to get a more flexible workforce.
Maritime Union president Garry Parsloe said [that] Mr Gibson had not thought through the consequences of making more than 300 staff redundant, which would cost about $24 million.