120 electricians walk off job

Press, 12 March 1984, Page 9

120 electricians walk off job

PA Whangarei The 120 electricians on the Marsden Point oil refinery expansion site walked off the job on Friday over the employment of a nonregistered worker. The electricians walked off at the end of the workday and will not meet again until tomorrow morning. Their action came after a subcontractor employed a worker they said was a nonregistered electrician, while registered New Zealand tradesmen were seeking jobs on the project. Another non-registered worker was employed on the site several weeks ago but stood down on full pay until his provisional licence came through. Meanwhile, the Arbitration Court has set down Thursday for a hearing over

the rigger-crane dispute. Marsden Refinery Constructors, the consortium building the refinery, is taking the riggers to court. The six riggers working with the giant Gottwald crane, used for lifting reactors into place, have been on strike since February 27. The crane was moved while they were off the site and they want payment for part of that time. There has already been one hearing on the dispute before an industrial conciliator, Mr John Bufton, who ruled that the riggers should have been involved in the crane moving but he would not rule on the question of payment. The six men have remained off the job and, in a bid to resolve the issue, M.R.C. has gone to the Arbitration Court.