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Relations between New Zealand's largest port and unionists are extremely poor, says a Government adjudicator trying to untangle a year-old pay dispute.
Employment Relations Authority member James Wilson has found a high level of mistrust between Auckland's port company and the Maritime Union, representing waterfront workers, which has called five strikes this year including a crippling 48-hour walkout.
"Both parties have pointed out that the mistrust which exists between them is the result of long-standing grievances," he said in a recommendation for settling the pay dispute, which the company has accepted but union members have voted to reject.
"However, it is also clear that to some extent these differences have been personalised and the relationship between individuals has become strained."
Mr Wilson said that if the port company was to make operational changes that both parties agreed were necessary, both for its benefit and that of the workers, it was "imperative that this relationship be improved".
He recommended a partly backdated 4 per cent general wage rise, up from a 3.25 per cent interim payment paid into workers' bank accounts without their permission, and a company-proposed productivity incentive schedule with an initial instalment worth 1.25 per cent of gross monthly earnings.
But he rejected a union claim for extra leave or service pay, and for collective employment coverage to be extended to planners and other staff deemed by the company to be in supervisory positions.
Mr Wilson called on the company to start repairing relations with the union by acknowledging its important statutory role, including in communications with workers, and for the union to consider a greater use of secret ballots to counter a management perception that its members were overly influenced by a small group of officials and delegates.
"While it seems unlikely in my experience that union members are likely to be persuaded to vote against their better judgment, this is nevertheless the perception of management."
Although Mr Wilson's recommendation was made public yesterday by the agreement of both sides, neither would indicate which aspects were rejected by port workers.
Union branch president Denis Carlisle would say only that his side was "committed to getting a settlement at the end of the day".
He would not indicate whether more strikes might be held in the New Year.
