Railways expects ferries to sail

Press, 2 June 1984, Page 1

Railways expects ferries to sail

PA Wellington The Railways Corporation expects no disruption to a full schedule of ferry sailings across Cook Strait during Queen’s Birthday weekend. An interim injunction requiring Picton railwaymen to work in accordance with their new roster was granted by the High Court in Wellington yesterday. A corporation spokesman said yesterday that it also hoped to start accepting freight after the week-end, depending on how much of the backlog was cleared in the next few days. It is believed that ferry freight was not being unloaded last evening because two shunters were still away sick. Granting the injunction sought by the corporation, Mr Justice Jeffries said the court was confident that the National Union of Railwaymen would obey the interim order until the case was finally settled. The order means that

Picton railway workers will have to work overtime and have days off as directed by the Railways Corporation. His Honour said damages claimed by the corporation of $2.5 million a day since May 18 could not properly be met by the union. But the Court was satisfied that union members, by their non-co-operation, were not working the rosters properly. Appearing for the corporation, Mr Phillip Green said the Railways had considered returning to Court with its application on Thursday after hearing that Canterbury railwaj' workers were planning a stop-work meeting on that day. The corporation had been concerned that the meeting was planned while a hearing against the union was before the Court. The corporation deeply regretted the present proceedings were needed, Mr Green said, but it was necessary to maintain the functions of the corporation.

He told his Honour that the effect of the union interference was that if three men were rostered on and one could not work, the corporation was unable to call in a replacement and so the other two could not work either, for safety reasons. Appearing for the union, Mr George Barton said the corporation was asking its Picton staff to do more than its powers permitted. “An injunction may have the effect of requiring employees to submit to a regime of conditions of employment about whose legal validity there is, at the very least, a serious doubt,” he said. Substantive matters in the Railways Corporation’s motion for a permanent injunction will be heard on Tuesday by the Chief Justice, Sir Ronald Davison. At the same time, he will hear the motion filed this

week by the union which challenges the corporation’s power to require Picton railwaymen to work overtime by invoking staff regulations.