Tug officers may face showdown

Press, 18 December 1976, Page 6

Tug officers may face showdown

A showdown between • ug; ifficers and the Harbours Association may arise ati Auckland today if there is no 1 progress towards resolving j the question of standby pay-1 Bents. Two passenger liners and I two container ships are I tcheduled in and out of l Auckland today — but if| demands for standby pay- j rents are not met, there is » possibility that all four will be unable to sail before 8 l.m. on Sunday. The association yesterday went some way towards reeling the demands of the i Merchant Service Guild by uffering to hold informal! talks before going hack into

; conciliation — provided the ban is lifted. ; Previously, it had offered I only to return to conciliation. ■ without the informal talks I sought by the guild. I However, the guild re- ■ mains adamant that it wants i some evidence of a “change lof heart” before it will lift I its ban and hold talks with I the association. Late yesterday afternoon there seemed little to suggest that the association would make any further overtures while the ban stayed in force. Without a breakthrough.! the only way the Auckland I j Harbour Board can avoid a i showdown today is by giving’ I tug officers continuous work,! at penal rates, from the time i

lithe first ship arrives until the I last one leaves this evening. I By using these tactics, the board would avoid having to stand down the tug officers between call-outs. Similar tactics have been used at the other four ports affected — Tauranga, Wellington. Lyttelton, and Bluff. Lyttelton may have up to eight shipping movements requiring tugs this week-end. The standby-payment question can be avoided only by organising the arrivals and departures in such a way that I tug officers will not have to ! be stood down between callI outs. There are only 32 tug ■officers in New Zealand. This jis the first time they have I taken industrial action.