Fire-fighters call off strike

Press, 4 September 1989, Page 8

Fire-fighters call off strike

PA Wellington Threatened strike action by the Wellington Airport crash fire-fighters was called off last evening after a six-hour meeting between the employer and the Public Service Association. Had the action gone ahead, it would have brought the airport to a standstill, seriously affecting August school holiday travel arrangements. The P.S.A. regional secretary, Mr Francis Wevers, said last evening that negotiations between the association and the employer, Armourguard, would resume tomorrow subject to the availability of a mediator.

The parties met at 1 p.m. and broke up soon after 6 p.m. when employees met and decided enough progress had been made in those talks to call oft the pending strike action.

“We made some progress in going through a proposed conditions package which the workers have been without for the past 18 months since Armourguard took over the control of crash fire ser-

vices at Wellington,” Mr Wevers said. "There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge yet and I wouldn’t say we are any particular distance down the track but it is significant that we are meeting for the first time in 18 months.” Employees were concerned that a number of employment conditions introduced before Armourguard won the contract at Wellington had been seriously eroded.

There was no further notice of industrial action at this point, but it was always an option.

“Industrial action is not something we go into lightly and not without a great deal of thought as to the impact it has on the travelling public,” he said.

“Strike action is the card we hold up our sleeve, but at the moment it is well up. “Our members’ concern for public safety means there will still be some areas of contention with Armourguard but we are confident that a high level of professional service tan be maintained,” Mr Wevers said.