Portnet and unions break new ground

IN A joint statement issued by Portnet and labour last week, the organisation says significant progress has been made in its labour relations.
Senior Portnet management and labour leaders met over a two day period earlier this month to discuss various labour-related issues at a meeting facilitated by the Independent Mediation Service of South Africa. The meeting arose out of serious labour problems that also saw go-slows and other costly delays to port working.
According to Portnet's communiquŽ, the following issues have been agreed upon:

"There is an important need for management and labour to improve the relationship between themselves, not least so that they can deal effectively with very many current key issues. "Significant relationship building initiatives will be launched at each port. "Joint transformation structures will be created at national and port levels. "A joint task team will work urgently with an external consultant to identify a permanent solution to the bonus scheme problem that emerged in recent months. "A joint collective bargaining task team will be established to investigate present and future collective bargaining arrangements. "Bi-monthly meetings will be held at national level (a national forum) between Portnet senior management and union leadership. The next meeting is scheduled for early September."

The communique concludes that both parties have expressed satisfaction with progress made and have committed themselves fully to creating a new relationship based on trust and collaboration.
Several shipping line personnel contacted by FTW expressed their pleasure at the latest news saying that they hope that this will result in a meaningful dialogue between Portnet and its work force, instead of the breakdowns that led to crippling and costly shipping delays recently. They point out that the costs of the disruptions had to be borne by the port users, who had little or no recourse to reimbursement.
According to information given to FTW, the contentious R350 per month bonus being offered by Portnet will, in terms of the new agreement, remain in force until October 1998. The joint task team and consultant appointed will develop together the principles of a productivity-based incentive scheme to replace this.
At each port local initiatives are being created with the intention of building relationships "based on harmony and mutual understanding".
Although no specific programme has been laid down, and local personnel are expected to create their own modus operandi in seeking out solutions to localised problems, the use of outside parties is considered essential.
"There has been a breakdown in relationships and we have had to acknowledge mistrust among ourselves," we were told. "For this reason it is essential that outside third parties be involved in helping to sort out our differences."
FTW has also learned that the existing unions are hoping to merge by the end of September this year, with a maximum of three unions evolving from the existing seven.

BY TERRY HUTSON