Protest stoppage by Seamen’s Union

Press, 27 October 1976, Page 6

Protest stoppage by Seamen’s Union

The 24-hour protest stoppage by the Seamen’s Union will upset the schedules of four vessels at Lyttelton today. The stoppage, which took effect from midnight yesterday and will end at midnight today, is in protest against the Government’s Industrial Relations Amendment Bill. Cook Strait ferry passenger sailings, however, will not be affected, reports the Press Association. The ferries will make their normal sailings, but will not carry trade or commercial vehicles. The stoppage today coincides with the Federation of Labour making its submissions to the Government on the Industrial Relations Bill. The seamen regard the stoppage as “the best submission” they can make. Industrial action in support of the F.O.L.’s opposition to the bill has been left to each individual union. The roll-on vessel Marama, which should have sailed from Lyttelton for Dunedin yesterday, will remain in port today. Her Dunedin cargo will be railed north for loading tomorrow. She will not now visit Dunedin, as the day lost because of the stoppage could upset her schedule at other New Zealand and Australian ports. All lashing and unlashing of cargo has to be done by the ship’s crew and so without the crew no cargo can be moved by the watersiders. This means that no cargo will be handled aboard the Holmdale today. The Coastal Trader and Coastal Ranger will arrive at Lyttelton today but because of the stoppage will not be worked. The Coastal Trader will be worked tomorrow and in an effort to get her back on scehdule some of the cargo from Christchurch, destined for Auckland, will not be loaded. The Coastal Ranger will miss a complete round voyage, and will discharge and load for Wellington on Friday. Tugniaslera At Auckland, an eight-hour ban on work by tugmasters delayed the arrival yesterday of the passenger liner Pacific Princess by half an hour. The liner was ready to berth before 8 a.m., when the tugs were 1 due back in operation, but had to wait. She will leave for Sydney an hour earlier today, at 11 p.m., to avoid any further delay. I The tugnrasters banned i work in protest against a , breakdown in award negotia- I tions.

Boilermakers Striking boilermakers picketed the Bank of New Zealand construction site in Wellington yesterday, warning of “scab” labour. The boilermakers were paid off last Friday by the steelwork contractor. Fletcher Bernard-Smith, Ltd, on the assumption that they had abandoned their employment by striking without notice to the company. The company has advertised for replacement staff. Ironically, the boilermakers, whose trade union has been deregistered are picketing a job they should have completed by yesterday. A company spokesman said that the steelwork for the bank building should by now have been completed. “The work is more than a year behind schedule,” he said. There has been no comment from the deregistered union’s officials since the company sent registered letters to the striking workers last week, informing them of the paying-off arrangements. The secretary of the Wellington Trades Council (Mr K. Douglas), however, issued a stem warning against the employment of what he termed would be “scab” labour on the bank project. “The picketers have the full support of the Trades Council,” he said. “If the job is to restart, it will be on the basis

I that the men who have been (dismissed are to be reI engaged.” Workers’ Union I Construction of the New Zealand Electricity Department’s gas-turbine power station at Whirinaki, Napier, stopped indefinitely at midday yesterday when members of the New Zealand Workers’! Union voted to strike. The 37 members voted, 23-14, to stop work indefinitely, or until the State Services Commission agrees to renegotiate an accommodation, or bonus allowance. The men want a 22c an hour accommodation allowance which, they say, is being paid to union members on other sites and to Public Service Association members on the Whirinaki site. The site delegate, Mr J. Campbell, said that negotia-. tions had begun in Septem-] ber. 1975. The members werei tired of being put off. Ice-cream workers Workers at the Mount Wellington, Auckland, factory of General Foods Corporation (N.Z.), Ltd, decided yesterday not to return to work in a row over disputes procedures. It is hoped that a meeting between the Ice-cream Workers’ Union and the management can be arranged within the next two or three] days.