Ferry talks agreed

Press, 20 February 1980, Page 1

Ferry talks agreed

PA Blenheim The Minister of Labour (Mr Bolger) has agreed*to a request for a compulsory conference on the dispute between the Marlborough Harbour Board and the em-_ ployees’ union. According to the union’s national secretary (Mr Gerdelan) last evening, Mr Bolger has agreed to terms of reference for the conference but the employers have said they will not be available to attend one until Saturday. Mr Gerdelan said that ■the harbour board’s representatives seemed reluctant to attend any sort of meeting with the union.

.. The Cook Strait ferries could resume their normal daylight schedule today if the harbour board agrees to attend the conference as soon as possible. - - - Mr Gerdelan said his union’s 44 Picton members

would meet to review the ban. They were ready to resume normal work as soon as the employers agreed to a meeting date. Although the harbour board had accepted broad terms of reference and a chairman, it had said that wage negotiations for harbour tug captains would prevent it from meeting the union until Saturday, Mr Gerdelan said. '

The employers’-secretary, Mr Ivan Poole, could not be reached last evening, but it is believed that efforts were being made to have the tug captains’ conciliation talks postponed. Mr Gerdelan said the union wanted the conference to result in; the. establishment of a committee to monitor industrial relations in Picton.

Until the conference is -convened the only sailing will' be today’s 10 a.m. from Wellington rand the

2.20 p.m. return from Picton.

More than 1200 passengers and 200 cars were affected by yesterday’s cancelled sailings, and there is a backlog of more than 1600 railway freight waggons. The second dispute which has prevented ferry night sailings for; more than a week also seemed no nearer a settlement yesterday. It centres on a pay parity argument between the Merchant Service Guild, representing deck officers, and -the Institute of Power and .Marine Engineers, representing engineer officers. Among stranded ferry motorists were 50 North American caravaners. “North Americans held hostage by New Zealand - unions” and “South. Island, please” were the slogans adopted by the caravaners.