Rail union to fight train trip cuts

Press, 17 May 1984, Page 9

Rail union to fight train trip cuts

The National Union of Railwaymen plans to fight a reduction in the number of freight trains on the Christchurch to Picton line.

The Blenheim, Kaikoura and Christchurch branches of the union, which will be affected by the cuts, due to start on Sunday, met Railways Corporation officials in Kaikoura yesterday. The Railways South Island district traffic manager, Mr Robert Taylor, told union officials that the revised timetables for freight trains on the South Island’s northern line would be enforced from Sunday. The changes would mean a reduction of 48 staff, but because there were vacancies to be filled elsewhere the actual number of jobs lost would be 30. Mr Taylor announced earlier this week that the 59 weekly services on the route would be cut to 53.

The plan is to co-ordinate trains with rail ferry sailings to provide a more efficient inter-island service.

Mr Taylor said that the move was the first stage in an over-all freight review. The Canterbury branch secretary of the N.U.R., Mr Paul Corliss, said that yesterday’s discussions had begun with Mr Taylor’s announcement that couplings on the northern line would

be non-negotiable. Mr Corliss said that that meant the rosters for the revised timetables would be done by management alone. in the past the revision of timetables and rosters had been a process of management giving prior notice of changes and then sitting down with union officials to sort out what was best for both parties, said Mr Corliss. Yesterday’s discussions could not be considered negotiations when a nonnegotiable stance had been expressed from the start, he said. The Blenheim branch of the union called for an independent arbitrator to supervise the negotiations on Tuesday but union officials could not be reached yesterday for comment on the proposal. Union officials had not been advised when redundancies on the line would occur, said Mr Corliss. They had been told that many of the workers had overtime and annual leave to work off first. Members of the affected union branches would hold stop-work meetings on Friday morning to discuss action against the changes, said Mr Corliss. If the corporation continued with its proposed cuts in staff numbers, “I can’t see how they’ll get it

done smoothly,” Mr Corliss t said. ? Mr Taylor was unable to > be reached for comment last night. f 1 |