Lyttelton Port strike still on

Lyttelton Port Company says it’s offering equal terms to members of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU), after talks broke down and the union said it intends to strike beginning next week.

Port company management and the union have been unable to resolve disputes around pay and weekend rosters, and the union has called and suspended strike action twice since March 7. Now, the RMTU plans to strike for at least five days from next Tuesday, March 20.

While the port declined to comment to media about the planned strike, citing a confidentiality deal, operations manager Paul Monk said much of the union’s comments “did not fairly or accurately reflect our position and we therefore feel it is important our position be clarified by this statement.”

Monk said the port agreed that staff who do the same work should receive the same pay, and it offered RMTU the same salary increases received by members of the Maritime Union of New Zealand, meaning 4 per cent for the first year and 3 per cent each for the following two years. However, the RMTU rejected the roster changes the other union accepted, meaning the port reduced its offer to 3 per cent per year for three years, Monk said.

“RMTU claims to want pay parity with their MUNZ Union colleagues when they are really demanding an unfair advantage over them,” he said. “The RMTU won’t budge even though they are fully aware shipping lines, exporters and importers are bearing the cost of the huge disruption resulting from their industrial action.

RMTU organiser John Kerr said the company “has not amended its position one jot”.

“It appears to us that LPC is unwavering in its determination to attempt to break the will of our members and to inflict unnecessary pain upon the Canterbury economy,” Kerr said.