Strike expected to hit Chch Airport

Press, 13 March 1987, Page 1

Strike expected to hit Chch Airport

By

JEFF HAMPTON

A planned strike by fire-fighters might shut Christchurch Airport for at least an hour a day later this month.

Rescue fire-fighters at the airport voted this week to support their fire brigade union colleagues and go on strike from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., from March 24.

The secretary of the Canterbury brandh of the Public Service Association, Mr John McKenzie, will give notice of the strike to Civil Aviation authorities this morning. The fire-fighters would

also ban routine duties.

The manager of Christchurch Airport, Mr Hugh McCarroll, said last evening that he could not comment as he had not heard of the action. Mr McKenzie said that rescue fire-fighters at other airports would meet soon to discuss the issue.

Pay for the rescue firefighters is tied to that for fire brigade union members. The southern and central fire brigade unions have given notice of the planned industrial action after pay talks stalled.

The Fire Service Commission has not budged

from its offer at award talks of a 3 per cent pay rise.

From March 18, the fire-fighters plan to attend only emergencies. Full strikes, for an hour a day, will start on March 24. An earlier strike was called off after the commission challenged the legality of the notice given and the High Court imposed an interim injunction. In Christchurch, firefighters have reimposed a ban on routine duties which was lifted on Monday.

The ban was originally imposed in protest at the

lack of washing facilities at the Christchurch Central Fire Station, but was lifted when a shower was installed.

Now, fire-fighters say they are unhappy with the length of time it takes to receive payment for an overtime shift.

The vice-president of the South Island Union, Mr lan Michel, said that members wanted to receive payment on the following pay day, as happened in other industries and among fire-fighters in other parts of New Zealand.

However, the Fire Service Commission said that those who had not received overtime payments yesterday had been late in making their claims.

Any late claims could not be processed in time, said a spokesman.

He described the ban on routine duties as an illegal strike because no notice had been given. The ban does not affect the public, and telephone calls to the Fire Service will be answered.