The Catholic Diocese of Auckland’s Justice & Peace Commission has just issued a leaflet entitled “Catholic Social Teaching and the Ports of Auckland Dispute” which is being distributed to all parishes in the diocese. It is accompanied by a letter of support from the Bishop of Auckland, Bishop Patrick Dunn.
The leaflet gives an overview of Catholic social teaching as a guide in considering the rights of both employers and workers in industrial relations. It states that media reports have not done justice to either side of the Ports of Auckland dispute, and believes it is important to look beyond the headlines to understand what the impact of the proposed changes will mean.
The distribution of this leaflet follows an offer made earlier to both parties in the Ports of Auckland dispute by Bishop Dunn and Bishops Ross Bay and Kito Pikaahu of the Anglican Diocese of Auckland, in which they offered to help, by sitting down with the Maritime Union and the Ports Company.
There has been another twist in the Ports of Auckland dispute: the port company has agreed to go back into mediation with the Maritime Union. Although both sides have welcomed the resumption of mediation, the Ports company has indicated that it still intends to contract out the stevedoring and hours after the agreement was reached, issued another lock-out notice to take effect in two weeks.
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