Strike looms in ferry pay row

Interislander ferry passengers and freight companies could find themselves stuck on dry land next month after a breakdown in pay talks between KiwiRail and two of its employee unions.

The Merchant Service Guild and the Aviation and Marine Engineers Association say they will both strike for a week from December 1 if KiwiRail does not relinquish its stance on ‘‘clawing back’’ conditions like long service pay.

The association represents 70 engineering officers and the guild represents 54 deck officers. If they were to strike then all sailings between Wellington and Picton would be suspended.