Comalco denies role in sackings

Press, 19 July 1989, Page 8

Comalco denies role in sackings

PA Wellington Comalco New Zealand, Ltd, denied in a statement last evening it was sacking any New Zealand seamen and said it had not broken any agreement with the Seamens’ Union. The statement was in response to seamens’ Union’s president, Mr Dave Morgan, who said yesterday Comalco had sacked 24 New Zealand crew on the cargo ship Cormorant Arrow. The Ship, which carries Comalco products to Japan, is anchored in

Tokyo Bay, Japan. “The manning dispute on the Cormorant Arrow is a matter between the ship’s owners, Gearbulk, and the New Zealand maritime unions,” Comalco said in its statement. Comalco said it had been advised of the dispute but it was a matter for Gearbulk and the unions. No-one from Comalco could be reached for comment yesterday evening. Mr Morgan said yesterday the sacked seamen

would be replaced by cheap labour. The action broke a 10year manning agreement Comalco signed with the New Zealand and Australian Maritime Unions in 1983, he said. “It’s ironic that Comalco is telling everyone through the media what good blokes they are and that we ought to sell them a power station. “But they’ve broken an agreement with us. And if they break one agreement they’ll probably break others,” Mr Morgan said.