Auckland waterfront workers' big pay packets - and how they could have got bigger
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Auckland waterfront workers' big pay packets - and how they could have got bigger

Cathy Odgers
Wed, 07 Mar 2012

An independent assessment by Ernst & Young of Ports of Auckland remuneration showed that full time stevedores earned on average $91,000 a year and part-time stevedores earned an average of $65,000 a year.

43 individuals at the port earned over $100,000 and the highest paid worker earned $122,000. Ernst & Young also found that for every 40 hours paid only 26 were worked. Below, Cathy Odgers looks at the offer Ports of Auckland put on the table. POAL sacked the 292 striking workers this morning -  Editor:


 

Ports of Auckland’s offer to staff involved rolling over the existing Collective Agreement (CA) with no changes to terms and conditions, a commitment to work collaborative with staff and the union on a range of performance initiatives, and a range of major concession:

No redundancies as a result of these initiatives during the term of the agreement

No further contracting out of labour during the term of the agreement

o A 2.5% pay increase

o A $200 signing bonus in lieu of back-pay.

 

· The union claims that hourly rates are higher for Individual Employment Agreements (IEAs).

o Some of the hourly rates in the IEAs are higher. This reflects greater flexibility in working hours under IEAs and the lack of other benefits which appear in the Collective Agreement

o The overall employment cost is similar

o There are only seven stevedores on IEAs out of a total of more than 300.

 

· The union objects to the past out-sourcing of shuttle work formerly performed by union employees

o Ports of Auckland underwent a fair and comprehensive consultation process prior to introducing this contract in 2010

o Only four union members’ jobs were displaced and of these all were offered redeployment to other roles within the Port; one accepted redeployment and three took up voluntary redundancy.

 

· POAL has generous wage and benefit packages for staff under the Collective Agreement. For the year ended 30 June 2011:

o Average wage for a full time stevedore at POAL was $91,480

o Average wage for a part time stevedore at POAL was $65,518

o 53% of full time stevedores (123 individuals) earned over $80,000

o 28% (43 individuals) earned over $100,000 with the highest earner making $122,000

 

· POAL provides:

Southern Cross medical insurance for the employee and family

o Sick leave of up to 15 days per annum accumulating to 45 days over three years

o Fully paid in house training (no student loans required) to become a lasher, straddle and crane driver

Five weeks annual leave for shift workers

 

· Embedded inflexibilities and old-fashioned work practices mean that labour utilisation at POAL is approx. 65% compared to approx. 80% at Port of Tauranga:

POAL’s crane drivers and deck foremen work on average 5.33 hours for every 8 paid

o Straddle drivers work an average 6 hours out of every 8 paid

o One recent example: stevedores worked 2 hours on an overtime shift but were paid for the whole 8 hour shift.

Cathy Odgers
Wed, 07 Mar 2012
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Auckland waterfront workers' big pay packets - and how they could have got bigger
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