More ferry sailings stopped by union

Press, 24 November 1986, Page 3

More ferry sailings stopped by union

PA Wellington Planned increases in Cook Strait rail ferry sailings have been stopped by the Seamen's Union because of stalled award talks, their employer says. The Railways Corporation had planned to have each of the three rail ferries making two crossings of Cook Strait daily from November 19 to December 15. The busier timetable was caused by an increase in the amount of rail freight to be carried, a corporation spokesman said.

The Seamen’s Union on Friday put a halt to the new timetable because award talks had been stalled since November 7. On November 10 the union voted in favour of a 24-hour national stoppage in protest about the breakdown of the talks.

A Railways spokesman said the ferries would revert to their normal sailing times. But the Ship-

ping Federation said the action by the Seamen’s Union was another bodyblow for an industry struggling to survive. ‘‘Time is running out for the shipping industry in this country,” said the executive director of the Shipping Federation, Ms Carmel Rogers.

She said the seamen had claimed a 6 per cent wage increase for the next five months. The federation has offered 3.64 per cent for five months, which it said was equivalent to 8.73 per cent for 12 months, the same as the increase settled with the Institute of Marine and Power Engineers.

“The industry is in a state of crisis,” said Ms Rogers. “Any increase in costs can only be based on the ability of the industry to pay.

“If award increases exceeded the extremely limited ability of the industry to pay, the industry

would be damaged dramatically. The vast human costs of that damage will be the loss of jobs," Ms Rogers said. Jobs in the shipping industry had already declined about 30 per cent since 1977, she said.

Employers also wanted a composite industry agreement with all four seagoing unions to allow an expansion of the shipping industry. An able-bodied seaman earned on average $231.57 more a week than the average wage, and gained an extra $40.45 a week as a result of the October 1, 1986, income tax changes. The employer said New Zealand seamen were also the only ones in the world to receive equal time on and off duty.

“Those who gain their livelihood from the New Zealand shipping industry must all now pull together if the industry is to survive,” Ms Rogers said.