Strike called off: gas crisis averted

Press, 28 May 1984, Page 8

Strike called off: gas crisis averted

PA New Plymouth A potential crisis for the Government and big users of natural gas was averted today when onshore and offshore operators at the Maui gasfield decided to forego planned strike action. Kapuni operators will still strike for 24 hours from midnight last night to press claims over wages and working conditions but their counterparts on the Maui platform and at the Oaonui production station announced last evening that they would not be

striking. Closing of both fields owned by Shell BP Todd Oil Services, as well as challenging the Government’s wage freeze, would probably have forced the closing of Taranaki methanol and ammonia urea plants and affected industries dependent on natural gas. Shell BP Todd’s public relations manager, Mr Don Sharp, last evening confirmed the intention of Kapuni operators to strike but said the company had met informally with Maui operators, who are members of

the Labourers’ Union, to “discuss matters of a domestic nature.” They had agreed to forego strike action. However, the company was still not prepared to go to the Government with the union to make a joint application for an exemption from the wage freeze, he said. Mr Sharp said the strike by Kapuni operators might not take place once they had learned of the Maui operators’ decision not to strike. Even if they went ahead with strike action, he

said, the Kapuni field would not necessarily close. The deputy secretary of the Ministry of energy, Mr Bill Falconer, suggested last evening that there may be enough gas in transmission pipelines to keep at least the ammonia-urea plant in action. The Taranaki organiser of the Labourers’ union, Mr Graeme Lock, was not available for comment last evening but the Minister of Energy, Mr Birch, said he was pleased common sense had prevailed and that labourers had withdrawn their threat of strike action.