A new collective employment agreement with major stevedoring company ISO marks a new era for waterfront industry workers in this country, says the Maritime Union of New Zealand.
The union negotiated a new collective employment agreement with the Australian-owned company around key components such as improved rostering, availability and increases in wage rates.
Union national secretary Craig Harrison say the agreement is “ground breaking” and sets a new standard in the stevedoring industry.
“Put simply, these innovative improvements will mean waterfront workers have the opportunity for work-life balance, dignity, and the ability to plan their personal and family life.”
Harrison says the ‘availability’ clause is a major step forward, which compensates workers for time they are expected to be available for work.
This is a major issue on the waterfront, where shipping delays can “play havoc” with work schedules and the lives of workers, he says.
The newly negotiated agreement comes after years of legal battles.
Harrison credits two MUNZ members in Tauranga, George Lye and Mana Tamatea, for sticking with the union during some tough years.
ISO employee and MUNZ member George Lye went to the Employment Court with the backing of the union over his previous ISO employment agreement breaching the zero-hours law (section 67D of the Employment Relations Act). The Court found in his favour.
In June 2022, the Employment Relations Authority upheld a personal grievance case brought by Lye against ISO.
Lye told the ERA that the rostering arrangements were difficult as he never knew when he would be working in advance and so he couldn’t make commitments in his personal life.
He couldn’t make commitments to see his seven-year-old son from a previous relationship on a regular basis as he is never able to confidently say whether or not he will be at work.
In the ruling, ERA member Nicola Craig concluded that Lye was disadvantaged in terms of the lack of agreed hours of work involving certainty of days or times and in terms of not being compensated for making himself available.
ISO was ordered to pay $22,500 in compensation for failing to compensate him for requiring him to be permanently available for work, and $15,000 for humiliation and loss of dignity suffered as a result of his inability to plan any aspect of his life with certainty.
Lye was presented with a special Solidarity Award at a Maritime Union dinner in Auckland last week for his role.
Harrison says the new ISO Collective Agreement will deal with major issues in the port industry all around New Zealand, but especially in Tauranga.
He says there has been a massive problem getting workers into the industry, as unsocial conditions, lack of a career path, and a high risk environment have made it unattractive.
He says MUNZ will use the new collective agreement as the basis for a Fair Pay Agreement in the ports sector.
The union has recently appointed a national organiser who will be visiting all ports in New Zealand in the coming months.
