ITF condemns 'car crash' decision by POAL managers

News Release International Transport Federation (ITF) March 24, 2012

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Global union the ITF
(International Transport Workers’ Federation) today described POALs lockout
decision as “unbelievable, unlawful and practically suicidal”.
 
ITF president Paddy
Crumlin said: “It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion. Do Richard Pearson
and Tony Gibson have a death wish for this port? Just when a negotiated
settlement was within reach they have trampled on those hopes and issued a lock
out notice.”
 
He continued: “The thugs
in this dispute are in the boardroom at POAL: slinging out workers, locking out
workers, trying to bring in strikebreakers from outside New Zealand to replace a
willing and skilled workforce. Gibson and Pearson beggar belief. It’s like they
want to turn this port into a disaster area.”
 
Crumlin was speaking from
the ITF’s London headquarters, where the organisation’s Fair Practices Committee
(FPC) – a high level group made up of global docker and seafarer union
representatives – was planning its response to this latest
provocation.
 
“We are today calling on
our members to use all lawful means to
convince Auckland’s mayor and council to step in and replace those in the
POAL board responsible for these actions with members who are willing to run
this important asset properly for the benefit of the city of Auckland and its
citizens.”
 
“We are
also forming an international crisis mission to investigate the
management-engineered crisis in POAL and meet with the city’s mayor, as well as
further investigating the use of labour supply companies to break strikes and
drive down conditions in the ports industry in New Zealand and
internationally.”
 
Crumlin
concluded: “Today’s decision by POAL’s chairman and CEO to crush the hopes and
chances of a solution that was so close just yesterday has shown that they are
not fit to be running this enterprise. The port of Auckland is community owned.
That community has been sold out. Even those who have supported the management
so far are now realising that they are defending the
indefensible.”</DIV></BODY></HTML>