By Willie Jackson

I had a raging argument with former local government minister Rodney Hide on radio last week over the Ports of Auckland.

He predictably was running his anti-union line – that's the one about the unions being responsible for industries shutting down, the wharves being unproductive and the wharfies milking it on their $91,000 salaries.

The problem with his view is that Hide and the public relations team of the Auckland Ports are only telling half of the truth.

They've conveniently forgotten the party held last September by management to recognise the high productivity of the workers.

Furthermore the watersiders actually receive $27 per hour or $56,000 per year and not the $91,000 that they're claiming.

The other line that we keep hearing is that the union is being terribly unreasonable. Again that's nonsense.

The union has agreed to improved productivity, major changes to their working conditions and increased flexibility.

Apparently that's still not enough for the port's management. According to them and the Hides of this world the union must capitulate to their demands by conceding totally the conditions they have fought for over the past century.

The workers have been asked to give away the security of a fulltime job in favour of casualisation to reach a higher rate of productivity.

All that in the name of progress.

The problem with their solution is that it's only the watersiders who will make any sacrifices.

Currently the ports are making close to a 6 percent profit margin but port board directors want an 8 percent return with no sacrifices being made by them.

The directors apparently make the same amount of money as the watersiders which isn't too bad considering they only have to attend a few meetings each year and not sweat their guts out like the wharfies do each day.

And it's not like they need any money – Hide virtually confirmed that the directors are all millionaires.

In addition to that at least a third of management earn more than $100,000 per annum and the chief executive Tony Gibson apparently is on a salary of about $750,000. So it's not hard to see that there is only one group of workers who are expected to make a sacrifice – the poor wharfies.

No, I reckon they should hang tough.

The way that they're being treated is an outrage.

These wharfies have a lot more to lose than their bosses and it's time for Aucklanders to get behind them.

Manukau Courier, 3rd February 2012