A new strike notice has been issued by Lyttelton Port workers.
Members of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) are set for five more days of industrial action to begin on April 20.
The union represents around 200 workers who are yet to reach an agreement with port bosses over pay and roster disputes.
“Our members voted on this before Easter, but we held off issuing further strike notices in the hope the company would alter their approach to the negotiations,” RMTU organiser John Kerr says.
“We hoped everyone could take a deep breath and find a proper resolution, especially as the port’s chief executive has returned from his overseas trip.
“Unfortunately that hasn’t happened.
“We cannot give up this fight, but we want to resolve this dispute quickly and restore security to the South Island logistics supply chain.
“We’ve bent over backwards to try and sort this out, meeting with management multiple times and providing many options to resolve this dispute,” Kerr says.
Lyttelton Port Company chief executive Peter Davie says the workers have been given three separate options which “are very fair and will provide significant wage increases”.
“Our offer of a 3% wage increase per annum for three years is higher than settlements being agreed by RMTU members in other New Zealand ports. Also, this offer requires no changes to the 199 RMTU members’ roster or the way they work.
“The sticking point is that the RMTU want the same 4% salary increase in the first year that their workmates in the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) received, but they refuse to make the roster changes MUNZ members already have made.
“RMTU claim the roster changes agreed to by MUNZ are unsafe. It is ludicrous to think we would ever put forward unsafe changes and the 201 MUNZ members have no safety issues with the roster changes.
“This enormous disruption to Canterbury’s exporters and importers is because RMTU members want the same money as their MUNZ workmates, but will not accept changes to their rosters, already accepted by their colleagues. I don’t think many people would think this is fair,” Davie says.
Christchurch MP Ruth Dyson held a meeting in Wellington on Tuesday with Davie and RMTU general secretary Wayne Butson, Stuff.co.nz reports.
Dyson said the two-hour meeting was constructive and would look to have further meetings to find a resolution.
