Sub-Station Still Not Fully Staffed

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31364, 9 May 1967, Page 1

Sub-Station Still Not Fully Staffed

No settlement has been reached on the staffing of the Woolston electric sub-station. The situation remained the same, said the secretary of the Canterbury branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (Mr J. F. McDowell), yesterday.

The sub-station serves homes and light industries In the Lyttelton-Heathcote district, and the Lyttelton Harbour Board. Mr McDowell said that if there was a breakdown at the Woolston sub-station it would be the responsibility of the Railways Department. The branch bad made an offer to the department that if it agreed to restore A.S.R.S. members to normal rostered duties, the branch would agree to one Railway Tradesmen’s Association member being on stand-by after 3.30 p.m. to do any repairs. This offer by the association had been refused by the assistant general manager of railways (Mr J. Tiller) through the Christchurch district traffic manager (Mr M. R. Leineweber).

Mr McDowell said the department had reiterated that it had suspended all rostered shifts. The department yesterday asked through Mr Leineweber if the Canterbury branch of the society would agree to three airmail flights daily from Wellington to Christchurch for railway air freight The branch had declined this request but had agreed to one flight daily, which was in line with normal duties. A condition stipulated by the branch was that the aircraft did not bring mail for points beyond Christchurch. The mail is picked up at Harewood by Railways Department lorries and taken to Christchurch station.