Meeting delays ferries

Press, 11 February 1986, Page 1

Meeting delays ferries

PA Wellington A marathon Cooks and Stewards’ Union stop-work meeting left 900 passengers stranded on the Arahura and Arahanga Cook Strait ferries yesterday. The meeting began at 8.30 a.m. and was to have finished in time to allow the Arahura to leave the Wellington terminal as scheduled at 10 a.m. Instead, it continued until 1.30 p.m., and so also held up the Arahanga in the neighbouring berth. She was supposed to sail at midday. The ferries departed within minutes of each other about 2 p.m. The union’s national secretary, Mr David Graham, said last evening that the delay was unfortunate.

“We don’t normally hold the ferries up,” he said of the regular monthly meetings. The union begins award talks today and there were contentious issues to be discussed, he said. The union seeks a 19 per cent wage increase, plus a catch-up margin. Mr Graham would not divulge its amount. Railways’ Searail director, Mr Jim Mills, said the ferries had been loaded with passengers, 30 rail waggons and 100 cars because the meeting was expected to have ended in time for the usual sailing. No warning of a prolonged meeting was given, even after the sailing deadline had passed. “I am very disappointed,” he said.