Better offer in line for tunnel staff

Press, 27 March 1979, Page 1

Better offer in line for tunnel staff

The ChristchurchLyttelton Road Tunnel Authority will put what is believed to be an improved offer to tunnel workers’ union representatives today. It is believed that the offer amounts to a total of $147,000, of which $77,000 is earmarked for tunnel control staff, $30,000 for nine other staff including managers, and $40,000 for over-all gratuity payments in recognition of good service.

The offer will be put to the workers’ representatives on the Canterbury Trades Council. The workers rejected the last offer last week and threatened to strike from midnight last Sunday, but called off the strike when a promise of a reconsideration by the authority was made. The tunnel workers had been seeking parity with the Auckland Harbour Bridge Authority’s redundancy agreement, which would cost the Christchurch authority about $243,000 to implement fully, as well as $40,000 in gratuities. But because of the extent of the gratuities offer, the unions have lowered their claim to $121,840. The authority’s offer last week is believed to have

amounted to $50,728 plus $40,000 in gratuities. The trades council negotiators are expected to call a meeting of the tunnel workers at which a decision on the improved offer will be made. The tunnel authority will go out of existence on April 1, from which date tolls will be abolished and a skeleton staff of 11 plus supervisors will be retained to control traffic in the tunnel.