Maritime Union members vow to fight for Port Chalmers HQ
MEMBERS of the Maritime Union of New Zealand are vowing to fight to save their Port Chalmers branch headquarters.
Port Chalmers branch secretary Phil Adams yesterday confirmed the union had been served with an eviction notice by Port Otago earlier this month.
The notice gave union members 20 days to vacate the old Waterfront Industry Commission building before demolition went ahead.
The building — built in 1946 and known as the ‘‘bureau’’ — had strong links to the town’s maritime history, including as the Port Chalmers epicentre of the 1951 waterfront dispute.
However, it was also earthquakeprone and had a deteriorating asbestos roof, and Port Otago argued the cost of refurbishing it would be prohibitive.
However, Mr Adams said branch members were refusing to budge and planned to ignore the eviction notice.
‘‘I think [Port Otago] wanted not to use the eviction notice, and for us to go quietly, but watersiders being watersiders, we don’t lie down without a fight — and that’s what’s going to happen.’’
Branch members would instead discuss their next steps at a regular stopwork meeting scheduled for next week, he said.
The meeting would be held inside the WIC building.
Mr Adams believed the company wanted to be rid of the old building to clear space for future development.
‘‘We just want something done to try to save the building. I think people have been too hasty in trying to get rid of it.’’
Port Otago chief executive Kevin Winders could not comment in detail when contacted yesterday, saying the fighting talk was ‘‘news to me’’.
‘‘He [Mr Adams] hasn’t had that conversation with me.’’
Board chairman David Faulkner said both safety concerns and future expansion were issues behind the demolition plan.
The company would be liable if the unreinforced brick building collapsed in an earthquake, and the cost of refurbishing it was ‘‘absolutely’’ prohibitive, he said.
Also, the company needed more space for future operations.
Mr Winders had been discussing the building with union representatives for some time, but ‘‘hasn’t really been making much progress . . . hence the eviction notice’’, Mr Faulkner said.
The company remained open to further talks and hoped to avoid a confrontation.
‘‘We hope it doesn’t get to that stage. We’re very keen to sit down and just continue to pursue other options.’’
Mr Adams said he had also contacted the Otago Regional Council, as owner of Port Otago, to see if it would intervene.
ORC chairman Stephen Woodhead said the issue was ‘‘clearly an operational matter’’ for Port Otago.
‘‘It doesn’t have anything to do with us.’’