Lyttelton port strike starts today

More talks between Lyttelton Port and unions failed yesterday to overcome an impasse and a fortnight of strike action was to begin this morning – unless a last-minute agreement could be reached before midnight last night.

Rail and Maritime Transport Union organiser John Kerr said the sticking point was the port company’s refusal to pay full wages for about 70 cargo handlers over last Thursday and Friday.

LPC Operations Manager Paul Monk said 54 union staff were affected between Thursday and Saturday, ‘‘days for which the union gave late notice of withdrawing

‘‘We’re ready to talk again at any time but there’s an excess of testosterone at the bargaining table.’’ Rail and Maritime Transport Union organiser John Kerr

its strike action’’. ‘‘These staff lost pay for between one and three shifts, depending on when they had been rostered to work.’’

The union gave notice of strike action for the two days, then withdrew it. The port company said it had to divert ships, meaning there was no ship-loading work on those days.

Kerr claimed a rough estimate of the cost to Lyttelton Port of paying the wages would be $33,000.

Kerr said this meant that for a relatively small sum the port company was prepared to lose much more in revenue, with a knock-on effect to freight companies and Canterbury importers and exporters.

Monk said staff who lost work were ‘‘in a wide range of roles at the port with varying responsibilities and wages. This makes it challenging to provide an average cost’’.

‘‘Due to the wide variety of shipping and ancillary services it is also difficult to give the complete range of costs for ship diversions,’’ Monk said.

Kerr said the union put forward two options as a framework for settlement early yesterday.

‘‘We’re ready to talk again at any time but there’s an excess of testosterone at the bargaining table.

‘‘We’ll be holding peaceful pickets outside freight firms to give people information.’’

A Lyttelton Port spokeswoman said recent industrial disruption had cost shipping lines and Canterbury freight firms.

Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce chief executive Leanne Watson said none of her members reported being affected yet, but they would be if two weeks of strike action took place.

The port company said it had to reorganise the arrival of more than eight vessels between Sunday night and yesterday.

‘‘International shipping does not usually allow for vessel diversion with less than seven days’ notice.

‘‘Managing the return of vessels to our port over the weekend has come at a significant cost and disruption to the shipping lines and Canterbury shippers, who had already diverted cargo to other ports or cancelled export bookings.’’

The company reiterated its ‘‘generous’’ offer of a 3 per cent salary increase each year for three years while asking for no changes in their conditions of work.

‘‘This means we are no longer asking them to make the roster changes, agreed to a year ago by their Maritime Union of New Zealand colleagues, which would allow us to offer customers more flexible servicing of their vessels.

‘‘Because of Maritime Union members’ flexibility in accepting the new roster, they received a salary increase of 4 per cent this year and 3 per cent for the next two years.

‘‘Rail and Maritime Transport Union want the same salary increases as their Maritime Union colleagues while refusing to make the same roster changes,’’ the port company said.