Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
License needed for work use Register

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Timaru Port Workers Issue Strike Notice

Members of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) working at the Port of Timaru have this afternoon issued notice of a 24 hour full strike on 16th December.

RMTU South Island Organiser John Kerr says the decision to issue notice follows on from a ballot of workers overwhelmingly supporting industrial action and the subsequent failure of negotiations last week.

‘We received a mandate from members for strike action anytime from 7th -24th December. The RMTU has been in negotiations for a Multi-Employer Collective Agreement (MECA) with Prime Port Timaru and Quality Marshalling since May and the employers have made it clear they would prefer not to enter into a MECA and have only offered below inflation adjustments to pay, which in effect are pay cuts. Last week during negotiations there was no amendment to employers’ respective positions on these issues,’ he said.

‘These workers have kept cargo moving across the wharves throughout the pandemic, and as essential workers they want to see recognition of their service to the community and the national economy.’

He says rising living costs are reflected in the latest inflation numbers, and in the continuing rise in the cost of living.

‘The RMTU is claiming an 8% increase to wages at the port, as we are in KiwiRail. This is not unreasonable in the circumstances we find ourselves in. There are more than a couple of weeks before the strike action, which coincides with that notified in KiwiRail and while we are not ruling out issuing further strike notices, we are hopeful we can conclude an agreement with these employers before any industrial action occurs.’ It is not our wish to further disrupt our national supply chains but given the intransigence of the employers we have been left with no choice but to use the one tool at our disposal under the law to effect change in the employers approach and attitude.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines

Gordon Campbell: On The New Government’s Policies Of Yesteryear

Winston Peters is routinely described as the kingmaker who decides whether the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded, but equally important role as the scapegoat who can be blamed for killing taxes that his senior partners never much wanted in the first place. Neither Ardern nor Robertson for example, really wanted a capital gains tax, for fear of Labour copping the “tax and spend“ label they ended up being saddled with anyway. Usefully though, they could tell the party faithful it was wicked old Winston who killed the CGT. More


 
 
Public Housing Futures: Christmas Comes Early For Landlords

New CTU analysis of the National & ACT coalition agreement has shown the cost of returning interest deductibility to landlords is an extra $900M on top of National’s original proposal. This is because it is going to be implemented earlier and faster, including retrospective rebates from April 2023. More


Green Party: Petition To Save Oil & Gas Ban

“The new Government’s plan to expand oil and gas exploration is as dangerous as it is unscientific. Whatever you think about the new government, there is simply no mandate to trash the climate. We need to come together to stop them,” says James Shaw. More

PSA: MFAT Must Reverse Decision To Remove Te Reo

MFAT's decision to remove te reo from correspondence before new Ministers are sworn in risks undermining the important progress the public sector has made in honouring te Tiriti. "We are very disappointed in what is a backward decision - it simply seems to be a Ministry bowing to the racist rhetoric we heard on the election campaign trail," says Marcia Puru. More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.