The Maritime Union is calling for Ports of Auckland chief executive Tony Gibson to go following a damning report which found systemic problems with health and safety under his watch.
In a three-year period, two port workers lost their lives due to accidents on the wharves and a speeding pilot boat accidentally struck and killed an ocean swimmer.
Gibson and port chairman Bill Osborne today accepted the findings of the report and accepted they had not being doing enough to keep staff safe.
“I now expect Ports of Auckland to implement these recommendations without delay and more importantly to hold management to account on monitoring and compliance,” Osborne said.
Maritime Union national secretary Craig Harrison said the independent report by Construction Health and Safety New Zealand (CHASNZ) confirmed everything the union has said about the failure of port management to keep staff safe over several years.
“There is no confidence in the chief executive and the board has not done its job,” said Harrison, who said the first step should be to replace Gibson.
Speaking at a press conference today, Gibson said he has no plans to resign, saying his focus is making sure the wrongs that have been done are put right.
Gibson said he will stay in the job as long as the board has faith in him.
Osborne said the board has confidence in Gibson and senior management’s commitment to drive forward on every recommendation in the report.
He said there are two broad themes that stand out in the report that need addressing - making improvements to safety management systems to ensure work is always carried out safely, and transforming company culture to create a strong safety culture.
At an earlier press conference, Mayor Phil Goff said the question of confidence in Gibson is a matter for the board.