Lyttelton port workers on strike from midnight

Lyttelton port workers on strike from midnight

Members of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) who work at Lyttelton Port Company will begin industrial action tonight, and may not return to work until 25 March.

“We’ve tried everything including mediation to reach a settlemtn, but the company refused to amend their position and walked out before lunchtime,” says RMTU South Island Organiser John Kerr.

“Port workers put two meaningful options on the table and asked if there was any ability to move on them. They were flatly rejected and LPC said they were not prepared to change their offer.”

Sticking points now include LPC’s insistence on docking the pay of workers who didn’t take part in strike action last week – because they withdrew the strike notice.

“In our view this amounts to an illegal lockout,” says John Kerr. “We are pursuing our legal options and LPC has only inflamed the situation with its miserly actions.”

“Management’s intransigence and inflexibility is very disappointing. We aren’t that far apart – we’re asking for the same rates LPC agreed with the other union on site, while LPC is offering 1% less than that. A deal should be possible with a little creativity.”

ENDS

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