28 jobs going in Ports of Auckland restructure

Ports of Auckland Bledisloe Wharf. Photo/Brett Phibbs

Ports of Auckland will make 28 staff redundant as a result of the reorganisation of its container terminals, the company confirmed today.

From July, the majority of visiting container ships would be berthed at the port's newly expanded Fergusson terminal, and all stevedoring staff would be based there.

The expansion of the Fergusson terminal resulted in an extra 6.4 hectares of space and the ability to reconfigure and expand the port's truck processing grid, managing director Jens Madsen said.

"The changes will remove unnecessary duplication of overheads and infrastructure, and further improve our ability to resource customer demand at peak periods."

Staff cuts were down slightly from the 30 redundancies originally announced in April as a result of constructive staff feedback, Madsen said.

The port company will consult with staff and unions over the next six weeks about the redundancies, including options such as voluntary severance, internal transfers, redeployment and retraining.

"We have been very happy to take on feedback including suggestions that we offer phased retirement, job sharing and part-time work," he said.

Bledisloe terminal would continue to be used for port operations, including containers and Customs activities.

The port company, which suffered a 7.4 per cent decline in container volumes in the March quarter, decided against the option of a nine-day fortnight when it first announced the planned changes last month.

Ports of Auckland handles more containers than any other New Zealand port through its Bledisloe and Fergusson terminals, which are adjacent to each other at the Parnell end of the Auckland waterfront.

The port, owned by council entity Auckland Regional Holdings, employs a total of 500 people.

- NZPA