Ferry engineers resist

Press, 27 March 1979, Page 1

Ferry engineers resist

PA Wellington The Government will have to force the Cook Strait ferry engineers to settle for lower pay increases than those awarded recently. This became apparent last evening when an Institute of Marine and Power Engineers’ executive member, Mr M. Stewart, said there was “no question” of the union giving up the increase. A decision to bring down regulations to lower the pay increases if the engineers do not give up

their rises voluntarily was made by the Cabinet yesterday morning. The Minister of Labour (Mr Bolger) said the Cabinet had accepted his proposal in principle to set up a commission of inquiry to look into and make recommendations on the various pay relativities on the ferries. If it was essential to bring down regulations to establish equilibrium on the present pay scales, the Government would move that way also, said Mr Bolger. Speaking from Auckland

last evening, Mr Stewart said that if the Government wanted to pass regulations, his institute members could not stop such a move. “We are definitely not giving up the agreement,” he said. “Why should we be expected to?” The engineers would wait until they saw what form the regulations took before they decided if they would take any industrial action, Mr Stewart said. Rises of up to 46 per cent negotiated by the engineers with the Rail-

ways Department are at the heart of the latest disruptions to ferry sailings. The other unions involved on the ferries — the Seamen’s Union, the Cooks and Stewards’ Union and the Merchant Service Guild — say that the settlement upsets the relativity of their wages. Mr Bolger said yesterday that the engineers had very little time left to agree to a common basis of wages. A voluntary move by the engineers would not prejudice their position in any inquiry.