Unionists’ barrier blocks Lyttelton road tunnel

Press, 28 March 1979, Page 1

Unionists’ barrier blocks Lyttelton road tunnel

Union action closed the Christchurch-Lyttelton road tunnel at the stroke of midnight last night.

Striking staff, seeking written contracts and a holiday agreement, shut the barriers at the toll plaza and abandoned the control room. This left the tunnel in a potentially dangerous state. Emergency telephones in the tunnel ring only in the control room and cannot be answered elsewhere, although removal of a fire extinguisher at one of the emergency bays also triggers a call-out at the Woolstone Fire Station. Two minutes and a half after the toll-plaza barriers were closed a car emerged from the Christchurch end of the tunnel, after entering the tunnel seconds before barriers were erected at the Lyttelton portal. From this vehicle, Mr G. A. McDonald, a toll booth officer, collected 30c — pcssibly the last toll to be collected for the Lyttelton road tunnel. Six minutes later the lights at the toll plaza and in the tunnel were turned off. All that remained were the red “stop” lights above each lane at the plaza. A police car that had been in the authority’s carpark left shortly before midnight. Hopes of a last-minute solution to the outstanding grievances were dashed early in the evening when it was learned that the Minister of Works (Mr W. L. Young) was travelling between Turangi and Rotorua and was unlikely to telephone with approval for the staff claims.

Discussions were held between the police and members of the tunnel authority yesterday afternoon to determine the safest course of action for the public. According to the commander of the Christchurch police district (Deputy Assistant Commissioner G. E. Twentyman) lack of control on the tunnel safety systems was some justification for closing a public road. Earlier in the day, Christchurch Transport Board bus drivers had agreed to use Evans Pass instead of the tunnel, and to try to maintain schedules. But the Evans Pass road is scheduled to be closed for blasting at selected times this week. The road works in progress on Evans Pass might be delayed, however. The Town Clerk of Lyttelton (Mr D. A. Hillier) said last evening that an attempt would be made to keep the road open for at least one-way traffic. With the port reasonably full of shipping, heavy congestion on the pass is likely. Christchurch - Lyttelton road tunnel workers want their present wages and conditions fixed for two years under the Local Bodies Protection Act, 1969. This demand was added yesterday after the workers rejected revised redundancy payment offers made by the ChristchurchLyttelton Road Tunnel Authority.

The authority’s offer for the 23 tunnel control staff and supervisors, and nine other administrative and technical workers, would have cost about $156,000, including about $40,000 gratuity payments for good service. There was insistence on a redundancy basis of four weeks for each year’s service for employees aged over 60, two weeks for those under 60. A payment scale for the Auckland Harbour Bridge Authority is believed to have been cited by tunnel workers yesterday. One of their number recently went to the Auckland Harbour Bridge as a toll collector and is believed to be earning $2OOO a year more than he was at the tunnel. The authority’s chairman (Mr V. G. Spiller) said yesterday: “We just have not got that kind of money and neither can we commit anybody to any agreements beyond our term of office, which expires on Saturday.” Mr Spiller said there would not be a tunnel authority after Saturday and neither would he be authorised to sign cheques. The authority is expecting demands for up to $40,000 for unused toll tickets after Friday, and Mr Spiller said that all other creditors had to be paid. “It is all very well to say the money we have is going into the Consolidated Revenue Account and let’s carve it up . . . don’t forget

the Government is inheriting a SSM debt with the tunnel,” he said.

The biggest redundancy payment demands involve eight control officers and supervisors aged more than 60. They seek payouts ranging from $3120 to $ll,BBO. They will also share in gratuity payments. Two supervisors aged over 60 with 15j years service on the tunnel seek $ll,BBO and $10,920 respectively. Yesterday they rejected the $5940 and $5460 offered by the authority. Another two control officers, aged 65 and 63, both with 151 years service, seek $9360 redundancy money, compared with $4680 offered in each case. Six staff members in the 55-60 age group with temporary employment with the Ministry of Works seek redundancy payments ranging from $5460 down U $604 for two officers with two years service. The workers are claiming $4680 to $5460 for three officers with 151 years service (one offered $4095 and the other two $3510 each), $2184 ($1638) for 7| years service, and $1560 ($1170) for five years.

Four tunnel officers, including a supervisor, will be without employment when tolls are abolished on Saturday night.

The counter-claim by the union averaged $5297; the tunnel authority last Friday offered $2205 average, and increased it yesterday to $3349.