N.Z. petrol stocks high

Press, 9 April 1980, Page 3

N.Z. petrol stocks high

PA Auckland Petrol stocks in holding tanks and storage installations throughout New Zealand were full as the Marsden Point oil refinery stopped work last evening for its two-yearly maintenance shutdown.

The refinery, with holding tanks full, will shut down for about five weeks while maintenance checks and equipment survey work is done.

However, contractors engaged by the New Zealand Refining Company have been unable to reach agreement with combined union members on who will do the work. Settlement has been held up by disagreement about some aspects of the work document, said a union advocate, Mr A. McLean, yesterday.

The agreement will cover about 400 men, including engineers, riggers, boilermakers, scaffolders, brick workers and labourers, At Marsden Point, a New Zealand Refining spokesman, Mr N. Johnstone, said that the Minister of Labour (Mr Bolger) had been asked to approach the president of the Federation of Labour (Mr W. J. Knox) in an effort to get the parties together.

Mr Johnstone said that the refinery had to shut last evening because its tanks were full. Nothing more could be taken in. Petrol stocks were high throughout New Zealand, he said, and any delay in reaching an agreement for the shutdown period would not cause later supply problems.