Port Otago staff dismissed over positive meth tests
A SERIES of positive methamphetamine tests among Port Otago workers operating heavy machinery may trigger a crackdown from the company.
Five people have tested positive for use of the drug at the port in the last three months.
Chief executive Kevin Winders said each case resulted in a process through its drug policy involving aspects of rehabilitation and mediation.
However, all of the staff have been dismissed.
‘‘These are team members driving 60tonne straddles. Their levels have been impaired. Driving a 60tonne machine, taking a Class A drug, clearly that is serious misconduct.’’
The positive test results for the drug were unusual and a ‘‘concerning and alarming’’ trend.
All of the company’s 325 employees could be randomly tested, but infringements tended to occur at the container area at Port Chalmers, where about 150 people worked.
The company initiated drug tests after incidents, before employment and also randomly tested about one staff member per day.
‘‘We’ll be kicking off a campaign and have a provider coming in to raise awareness.
‘‘We’ll also be reviewing our drug and alcohol policy.
‘‘The port’s testing regime was quite old.’’
This ‘‘clearly could’’ involve an increase in random testing.
‘‘In some workplaces the testing is 100%; you have to blow before you get in the door.
‘We’ll be reviewing what some of the other businesses do. We’ll see what is a better mix for us.’’
New Zealand Drug Foundation programmes manager Nathan Brown said it favoured education of managers and supervisors to notice impaired behaviour and intervene, rather than the use of drug tests.
‘‘They are detection tests mostly, which is different to impairment tests like we have with alcohol.’’
This could result in ‘‘moral judgement rather than protecting the workplace’’.
‘‘There’s limited evidence drug tests reduce the number of workplace incidents.’’
A Customs spokesman said it and police were notified of the issue by the company, but had no information suggesting the drugs came through the port.
A police spokesman said wastewater testing showed an increase in the presence of methamphetamine in the Southern district.
‘‘Methamphetamine can and does have a devastating impact on our communities, especially our youth and vulnerable people.
‘‘We applaud organisations who are taking an active approach to assist their staff in this area.’’
PORT Otago workers are vowing a ‘‘full blown industrial campaign’’ after a fiery full meeting of its members yesterday in Port Chalmers.
More than 120 workers, represented by the rail and maritime transport union and larger maritime union of New Zealand, attended the meeting, many port workers attending on their day off.
The two unions, representing 250 of the 325 workers at the port, are one week into their ‘‘indefinite’’ ban on overtime on the wharves.
Unions spokesman John Kerr said the workers now wanted to ‘‘send a message’’, which could include rolling industrial action, such as slowdowns by cargo handlers, marine, maintenance and security staff.
He said stumbling blocks to signing a new collective agreement with Port Otago management continued to be the issue of fatigue management and pay.
In respect of the latter, Mr Kerr said the unions now also had a mandate from their members to shelve their original 4% demand and would be seeking 6% across the board, annualised over the next three years.
‘‘The overtime ban is already having an impact and will only get more difficult to turn ships around on time as we get into the busier part of the season,’’ Mr Kerr said yesterday.
He said that given the lack of progress and of a decent percentage offer, the news of increased profitability in the company’s annual results this week, had ‘‘hardened the resolve of our members to obtain a fair share of the profitability of the port’’.
‘‘Any success that Port Otago has enjoyed in the past year is ultimately down to rank and file port workers working around the clock in all weather loading and unloading the freight on shipping so as to grow the Otago economy and meet customer needs.’’
He said, however, that despite three mediated negotiation meetings in the past two weeks ‘‘we’ve made very little progress.’’
He said it had reached the stage where ‘‘we can’t even agree what we don’t agree on.’’
Mr Kerr said he didn’t see the dispute ending anytime soon unless the dollars are shared among all and not just the ‘‘management class’’.
Port Otago general manager operations Kevin Kearney reiterated that the port ‘‘looked forward to concluding an agreement in due course.’’