Crash firemen threaten action

Press, 4 February 1982, Page 2

Crash firemen threaten action

An attempt by the Ministry of Transport to cut the costs of running its crash rescue services at airports by rearranging night shifts has brought it into conflict with crash firemen, who are' threatening industrial action. Christchurch Airport’s crash firemen have asked the head office of the Public Service Association to serve 14 days notice on the State Services Commission that they will work only from 8 a.m.. to 6 'p.m. unless the directive is withdrawn. The firemen have also warned that they will refuse to perform routine non-emergency work unless the directive is withdrawn. If the threat were carried out, it could mean night flights would have to be cancelled.

The regional director of aircraft operations with the Ministry, Mr F. A. Cox, said that an instruction had been issued to avoid unnecessary overtime and prevent public funds from being wasted.

“The rescue fire service category for Christchurch Airport is category seven, which is based on the number of movements of Boeing 7475, DClOs and DCBs using the airport,” said Mr Cox.

“Now it is decided that if one or even two rescue firemen are unable to report for duty because of illness and. it is confirmed that no aircraft larger than a Boeing 737-200 is likely to use the airport, then the airport category could temporarily be reduced to category six. “This would still provide greater coverage than given at other domestic airports for aircraft of that size,” said Mr Cox: Mr Cox said that the worst that could happen would' be that a large aircraft might be diverted from Auckland because of bad weather there. But in a case like that, there would still be sufficient notice to recall more crash firemen, who would be on overtime rates. Also, if there

was any foreseeable possibility that the weather at other airports might close them, then Christchurch would stay at category seven manning levels.

The Canterbury regional secretary of the P.S.A., Mr J. M. McKenzie, said that the firemen felt the higher categorisation should be maintained in case of large aircraft being diverted to Christchurch without much notice.

Also, the crash firemen felt that they should have been consulted before the directive was issued because a national agreement made after the Committee of Inquiry into crash firemen’s services at Auckland set minimum staff levels for each airport, said Mr McKenzie. Executive officers of the P.S.A. met in Wellington yesterday to consider the firemen’s request for 14 days notice of action, but a spokesman said no comment would be made until today.