Holmdale unloads at Chathams

Press, 9 April 1981, Page 6

Holmdale unloads at Chathams

1 Food and goods destined for people on the Chatham Islands were unloaded from the Holmdale yesterday after a dispute which had prevented unloading for 36 houres was settled yesterday morning. The dispute was settled on the basis of a recommendation put forward by the union three weeks ago, said the South Island secretary of , the Seamen's Union, Mr T. B. Stuart, last evening. The agreement was that tradii tional cargo handling payments would be made by the Union Steam Ship Company for the unloading work, pending further discussions. Mr Stuart said unloading would have started about 1 p.m. yesterday. The chief general manager of the Union Shipping Group, Mr D. C. Jury, said the dispute had been simmering for several weeks. The Holmdale sailed from

Lyttelton for Waitangi on Saturday and arrived on Monday afternoon. Normally, five or six days woul| be required at the Waitangi berth for her to discharge and load cargo. On her arrival at Waitangi on Monday, the Holmdale berthed and discharged livestock then anchored off Point Durham. Mr Jury said that there was a “local reluctance” to work the vessel when there was a dispute aboard. He said that there had been an agreement extending over many years for local involvement in handling cargo, local people working on the wharf and the ship’s crew helping by working the winches. The company,, said Mr Jury, had asked the seamen to do their usual work on the present voyage with the guarantee that extra compensation would be discussed further when the ship ;

i returned to Lyttelton. That i offer, he said, was declined. The matter was now in > the hands of the Shipping | Industry Tribunal, which I was meeting the Seamen’s Union in Wellington in an i effort to settle the dispute. When the Holmdale re- ■ turns to Lyttelton she will ’ be hard pressed to discharge and load cargo for both Waitangi and Pitt Island op what will be her final voyage before entering dry dock for her vital 20-year survey, Unless an extension can be obtained from Lloyd's Register of Shipping in London, the survey must be done by the end of this month. No • such extension had yet been applied for, said Mr Jury. The Holmdale is not the only freight carrier to the Chathams. Safe Air flies to the islands from either Wellington or Christchurch each' Tuesday and Thursday and it is not unusual for perishable goods to be carried.