Watersiders stop work over picket

Press, 20 April 1982, Page 6

Watersiders stop work over picket

Lyttelton watersiders yesterday stopped work for 24 hours, in protest against a recent picket mounted at the port by the Harbour Board Employees’ Union. It is not expected that the stoppage will continue. However, the members of the Watersiders’ Union will decide on that, at a meeting this morning. The picket was mounted last week at Gladstone Pier, where the Union Nelson berthed on its inaugural voyage 15 days ago. Both unions maintain that the work of carrying the cargo from the vessel is theirs, for “tradi-. tional” reasons.

The board employees mounted the picket, fearing that the work would go to the watersiders. However the Waterfront Industry Tribunal ruled that jt was their work. The watersiders yesterday officially protested about the picket by bringing the port to a standstill by not working. Negotiations were held yesterday between the

Watersiders Union and the Union Steam Ship Company (owners of the Union Nelson) in Wellington. Proposals made by the company would be put to the workers this morning, said the acting secretary of the union at Lyttelton, Mr W. S. Collins. He would not say what the proposals were.

He said that it was up to the members to decide what further action would be taken on the issue. ■ He said that negotiations oh the matter had been held previously between the company and the harbour board, and he said that the union had had difficulty in getting its point across. “We’ve had nothing to do with the negotiations,” he said-

The union still asserts that the work belongs to it. The traffic manager for the Lyttelton Harbour Board, Mr D. A. Jones, said the strike came at the start of a hiiQv wppk There were eight vessels

in port yesterday. Sjx more were due by Saturday, although several -departures were scheduled. If no deparlures were possible because of a continued strike, then the port could accommodate the expected arrivals, but some of them would probably have to tie up at nonworking berths. The secretary of the Harbour Board Employees' Union, Mr P, Monk, sajd yesterday, “As far as we are concerned, the matter is resolved.

“We took our risks just like anyone else' going through the legal process,” he said. The tribunal ruled that the work should be done by the board employees’ union.

A spokesman for the Union Steam Ship Company at Lyttelton said that it was “very disappointing” that the Union Nelson had been at the centre of a dispute. “We are endeavouring to bring trade to the port, then she is stuck for 14 days on her maiden voyage,” he said.