Strike starts midnight tonight at Lyttelton Port
Strikes will begin at midnight tonight at Lyttelton Port by the Rail and Maritime Union (RMTU). The Union is striking for five days (21 to 25 March inclusive).
However, we now have certainty there will be no strikes at Lyttelton Port the following week – from Monday March 26 to Monday 2 April, inclusive. The Union must give us fourteen days’ notice of strike action and no such notices have been received for any days in that week.
We have made a generous salary increase offer to RMTU members – a workforce which is already well paid. We want to resolve the dispute but we cannot accept the Union’s unreasonable salary increase demands.
At the end of this message we have provided LPC’s Media Statement, issued today, which gives further clarity about our position.
We appreciate your continuing patience during this difficult time. If you have any questions regarding the industrial action place discuss them with your usual LPC contact.
Operations during Strike Period
Berthing Vessels
LPC will be unable to berth any vessels during the strike period. This includes Container, Coal, Bulk, Tankers and any vessel requiring pilot and/or tug assistance.
LCT Operations
The Container Terminal will not be stevedoring any container vessels or coal vessels during the strike period.
The Container Terminal and Empty Container Yard (ECY) will be open for Receival and Delivery of cargo between the hours of 0700 and 1500 Monday – Saturday.
No services will be available on Sunday.
We will be able to continue Reefer Power and Monitoring services at the Terminal.
Train capacity between KiwiRail Container Terminal and Lyttelton Container Terminal will be limited to one train per day. Customers should contact KiwiRail to discuss contingencies.
Exports
We will continue to receive cargo with a valid booking number for vessels scheduled to call at Lyttelton. However shippers should consult directly with their shipping lines to determine what contingency plans are in place for export cargo prior to bringing cargo into the Port.
Where port omissions are likely and customers have the ability to hold cargo at their facilities, or at alternate facilities, we would appreciate these options being considered to assist with potential capacity issues at the Port which could result from cargo build up.
Due to the fluid nature of this situation we will continue to monitor our approach to receiving export cargo and keep you updated.
CityDepot and MidlandPort
Neither CityDepot nor MidlandPort will be affected by the strikes. For those customers that use these facilities for full cargo, we are monitoring yard and rail capacity closely and will liaise with you if we start seeing a build-up of cargo. If vessel calls are uncertain, we would ask that cargo is held on site where possible. Train capacity between MidlandPort and LCT will be limited to one train service.
Regards,
SIMON MUNT
Marketing Manager
Lyttelton Port Company MEDIA STATEMENT
RMTU REFUSES PARITY WITH OTHER LYTTELTON PORT UNION – STRIKE STARTS MIDNIGHT
Lyttelton Port Company’s offer of parity with the other major Union at the Port has been refused by the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) which will begin striking at midnight tonight. RMTU is striking from 21 to 25 March inclusive.
LPC’s Operations Manager, Paul Monk, says RMTU does not want parity with the other major Union at the Port, the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) – it wants an unfair advantage over it.
“RMTU members want the same salary increase their MUNZ colleagues received but without making the roster changes MUNZ accepted a year ago.
“RMTU claims there’s a safety issue associated with the new roster agreed to by their MUNZ colleagues.
“MUNZ members have had no safety issues since they took it on. MUNZ is fine with it.
“The RMTU wants the same money as MUNZ but they don’t want to work the new roster – they don’t want to do equal work.
“We want to stop the enormous disruption the RMTU strikes will have on shipping lines, importers and exporters. For this reason, we have dropped our request for them to make any roster changes. We have offered them a salary rise of 3% a year each year for three years, with no changes to their roster or the way they work.
“We have made a generous offer to what is a well-paid workforce which already receives well above the average Kiwi’s wage.
“That offer is just 1% less than their MUNZ colleagues received. RMTU is hanging out for that extra 1%. They want the extra money without agreeing to the roster changes MUNZ made. This is not parity.
“When the strikes begin at midnight tonight our container wharves will be empty. Shipping is the lifeblood of our region’s trade. Lyttelton Port manages over half the South Island’s container volume. The RMTU strikes will stop the Port’s heartbeat.
“We are committed to resolving the dispute and we remain prepared to reach a settlement with the RMTU but we are faced with a Union that will not budge on any of its demands.”
-End-