Sydney petrol cut

Press, 27 July 1982, Page 6

Sydney petrol cut

NZPA Melbourne Half .of Sydney's petrol supplies, two-thirds of the New South Wales supplies, and all fuel deliveries to Sydney Airport have? been cut by the latest oil industry union’ ban yesterday. About 40 members of the Storemen and Packers' Union, one of 11 unions covering 12.500 workers involved in negotiations on a new avyard. struck yesterday at the vital Caltex Banksmeadow Terminal in Sydney. The walk-off is part of a nationally co-ordinatbd campaign by the A.C.T.-U.. and union sources if bans continued throughout the week, petrol shortages could become widespread.

Road and rail tanker deliveries and aviation fuel supplies by pipeline to Sydney Airport have been cut. and a spokesman for Qantas said that the situation was tight for all airlines, although no services had been .affected yet. The action comes as key oil industry workers in N.S.W. began making good their threat to disrupt the industry seriously if oil companies continue to refuse to negotiate "sensibly” on a new Federal two-year common award.

Queensland also faces further industrial strife today in spite of a state of emergency. and threats of fewer blue-collar jobs for Government workers. Union leaders at an emergency meeting yesterday threatened to call a statewide general strike if the Government took action against their members, who are protesting over delays in negotiations for a 38-hour week. ? / •