Six day strike threatened at Lytteton Port

Lyttelton Port of Christchurch (LPC) has received strike notices from the Rail and Maritime Union (RMTU) for three consecutive days and has been told by the Union it will be served with three more strike notices - to make a total of six consecutive strike days from 11 February.

"Because of the length of the strike, LPC will only be able to operate part of the Port and some services cannot be provided," said LPC Chief Executive Peter Davie. "We are working through this with customers and regret the disruption and impact on their businesses."

"However, the RMTU has the option on each strike day to withdraw that day’s strike notice just before the industrial action is due to begin. That means RMTU members could then arrive at work and be paid even though there may be little work for them as significant customer services will have been cancelled.

"It is possible LPC will not know if each day’s strike will actually proceed until shortly before it is due to get underway.

"Our customers need to plan ahead and unfortunately we can give them no certainty about which days RMTU members may definitely proceed with their strike.

"We believe the responsible course of action is to advise customers of the situation so they can plan accordingly."

"We expect some parts of the Port will remain open during the industrial action as only one third of our workforce will be on strike - the RMTU members. "LPC has offered them a remuneration increase of 3% over 18 months, backdated to September. This is a significant, real wage increase at a time when inflation is only 0.8%," said Mr Davie.

"We are participating in Mediation with the RMTU on Wednesday (4 February). LPC remains committed to resolving the industrial dispute."

As the industrial action unfolds LPC will reassess the situation and adjust planning accordingly.