Railway union ban worsens Timaru container dispute

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33451, 5 February 1974, Page 1

Railway union ban worsens Timaru container dispute

(New Zealand Press .A «snctalion> TIMARU, February I. South Canterbury's two freezing works mav have to close and ships maybe diverted from Ti mar u as a result of a worsening yesterday in the container handling dispute.

Already involving a ban and a counter-ban, the dispute had a further han added yesterday by the National Union of Railway Workers. No railway waggons containing frozen meat from freezing works will be shunted on to the waterfront.

A spokesman for the Railway Workers' I nion said from Wellington that the han was aimed at disrupting the work of watersiders at the port, and had been requested by the Storemen and Packers' Union.

*•'' Il would remain until the i watersiders’ ban on the load(ing of containers from the South Canterbury Co-opera-tive Cool Stores was lifted, he said. The imposition of the Railway Workers’ ban is already • affecting one ship in port. The Medic has been loading frozen meat, and is due to leave today for Scotland. It (is not yet known if its departure will be affected bv , I the ban. but loading has not ( yet been completed. r Two other ships are due in I the port over the next, three t (weeks to load frozen meat. IThey are the Taupo, which (will load 2000 tons of frozen I meat, and the Tropic. • f A spokesman for the ship- ’ -ping agents handling the ! ;arrival of the Taupo said (yesterday that no considera- . tion had been given to divert- , ting the ship; ( ! A decision would be made ( (if the ban remained in effect,! (he said. : While the ban remains,, I (south Canterbury’s two' ’freezing works will stockpile! (frozen meat. • I The manager of the Smith-j field works (Mr N. H. Davis) ! said that there was plenty of; (room for stockpiling, but if, 'the ban remained for any ■ length of time, killing would|have to stop. | “We can’t operate if wei (can’t load out,” he said. Mr Davis said he would not ■ 'like to nominate how long I the stockpiling could go on for. . The manager of Pareora , works (Mr J. P. Gallagher), i said that he did not want to| comment on the situation. The ban by the Railway! Workers’ Union will have: considerable effect on Rail-; .ways Department movements.; A spokesman for the de-i ipartment said that up to 50 waggons a day could be

shunted on to the waterfront (when a ship was in port. ■ The president of the Timaru Waterside Workers’ (Union (Mr I. R. Jenkin) refused io comment on the latest development in the dispute. He said that the effects of the ban had not yet been assessed, and he did not 'know how serious it would be. There had been no official notification of lhe han from the Railway Workers’ Union, Mr Jenkin said