13 March 2018

Lyttelton port workers to picket meeting of Christchurch City Holdings board

Workers employed by Lyttelton Port Company are calling on the Christchurch City Council’s holding company to step in and resolve the ongoing dispute.

The workers have withdrawn strike notices for this Thursday and Friday and are prepared to get back on the job if their employer is willing to negotiate a fair agreement.

At noon tomorrow (Wednesday 14 March) they will present a letter to the chair of the board of Christchurch City Holdings calling on them, as the owners of Lyttelton Port Company, to use their influence to resolve the issue.

“Lyttelton Port have accused our members of being ‘absolutely determined to strike’,” says John Kerr, organiser for the Rail and Maritime Union. “What they are is absolutely determined to get a fair deal and get back to work.”

“Our members just want fair pay and decent health and safety. The company is being completely unreasonable, so we’re going over their heads.

“LPC is trying to get strike action shut down through the courts one day, then complaining when our members say they’ll go back to work, and docking their pay for it. What do they want?

“Lyttelton Port is a major gateway for the region. We want it to keep running, and the minor adjustment they need to make to their offer would cost a lot less in both money and goodwill than having the port shut down because they won’t come to the table.”

Protest at 12 noon Wednesday 14 March
Christchurch City Holdings Ltd
77 Hereford St
Christchurch

ENDS

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