Ships idle

Press, 24 April 1980, Page 1

Ships idle

’ Lyttelton ' watersiders 1 yesterday were told that : their withdrawal of deck classification labour con< stituted a strike under the i terms <3i the Industrial Relations Act and the Waterfront Industry Act and, ; accordingly, some 67 men were put off pay. f One gang was wooing - yesterday on the Kenkon ■ Maru, but three other vessels in port were idle bei cause of a lack of decki men. | The secretary of the: I Lyttelton branch of the i Port Employers’ Association (Mr J* Twomey) said

that the only reason a gang was still working the Kenkon Maru was because deckmen inadvertently had not withdrawn their names; The three vessels idle yesterday were the Warrior, in port to load 5000 tonnes of barley for the U.S.S.R. the Strathmuir, in port since Sunday discharging and loading for the Middle East; and the Bowoon Nd. 3, with 1100 tonnes of bulk molasses. The deckmen are believed to want the same discomfort rates that have been awarded to men working in ships’ holds. ,