An Otago union leader has expressed concern over the recent departure of Port Otago chief executive Rene Bakx to the role of infrastructure manager with neighbouring Lyttelton Port Company (LPC).
Difficulties in reaching the tsunami stricken areas can be overcome with the use of the multimodal facilities available in Johor which is close to Sumatra. The port says the multimodal synergy between Senai and PTP will enable effective redistribution of essential relief items by sea or air.
Maritime Union of New Zealand Dunedin branch secretary Phil Adams says he expects LPC's management will pick Bakx' brains for commercially-sensitive information such as how Port Otago established its "excellent bond" with unions. "We have always been highly competitive with Lyttelton. We gained the 4,100TEU vessels off them through a lot of hard work between the unions and the management headed by Rene, " he says. "Rene said he was only going up there to work on the infrastructure but being realistic, if they don't pick his brains then something is wrong."
Port Otago chairperson John Gilks does not share Adams' concerns, labelling Bakx a person of "particularly high integrity". While declining comment on the issue, Bakx says he made the move out of a belief that chief executives should only have a lifespan of "five to seven years" in the same job.
