Further Strike Action at Lyttelton port

Rail Workers Vow to Support Lyttelton Port Staff As Fresh Strike Notice Issued.

A meeting of the Canterbury Rail Branch of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) unanimously voted yesterday to support striking Lyttelton Port workers using ‘any means necessary’.

Strike action commences at 2300 tonight when Logistics Officers (LOs) who work for Lyttelton Port Company walk off the job until 0700. Thereafter the action will be repeated every night and during the day the LOs will observe all breaks. The action will result in delays and backlogs at the port. This morning the RMTU has issued a further strike notice that there will be a total withdrawal of labour around the clock during the weekend of 17-18 May.

‘Our rail members have said they will back the port workers,’ said RMTU South Island Organiser John Kerr, ‘they have a proud tradition of not crossing picket lines and they are not about to break that now.’

‘Rail provides the transportation from the point of production to the waterfront for many of the commodities that are exported from Lyttelton, including coal and dairy products, ‘he said.

‘Our members want to get back round the table with management and thrash out a deal, they certainly don’t want to see this dispute escalate to the detriment of the wider Canterbury economy,’ he said.

‘Our members are claiming a 4% wage rise over 12 months, the Company are offering 2.85%, but as there are so few of these workers the amount of cash we’re talking about is relatively small,’ he said.

‘It will cost LPC only around $10000 to settle this dispute, then we can all get back to making Lyttelton Port work for the people of Canterbury’ he said.

ENDS

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