Stop-work meetings threaten train services

By MATHEW DEARNALEY

Auckland train services will come under added pressure today as drivers and other staff stop work over a condition of their transfer to a new rail operator.

Existing operator Toll Holdings said there would be no disruption during two stop-work meetings from 11am, and the Rail and Maritime Transport Union promised to try to ensure enough members remained on duty. Union industrial officer Scott Wilson said yesterday that he had not heard a rumour of a wildcat strike next week, and would advise workers not to take any industrial action that would be unlawful before their employment agreement expired.

But he said there could be no guarantee a rail network already under stress would be unaffected during the four-hour span of today's meetings, until 3pm.

Union members blitzed passengers at the Britomart station last night with leaflets accusing Toll of jeopardising an orderly transfer of staff on July 4 to new rail operator Connex by refusing to allow that company to join a multi-employer collective industrial agreement.

That document covers 3200 staff of Toll - the new Australian owner of Tranz Rail - and its Tranz Scenic subsidiary.

Passengers were warned of a possible high cost to Auckland regional ratepayers in redundancy payments and an exodus of staff to better-paid jobs in Australia.

The Council of Trade Unions is backing the Auckland rail workers and accusing Toll of attacking the country's largest multi-employer agreement at the same time as trying to change rosters unilaterally on the Cook Strait ferry Arahura.

Connex has agreed to employ all but one or two of Toll's 116 Auckland passenger rail staff, and told the Herald yesterday it was amenable to joining the multi-employer agreement or any suitable arrangement.

Mr Wilson said that although most staff wanted to keep working on the Auckland trains, Toll's refusal to let them remain under the multi-employment agreement meant they would all have a right to be declared redundant.

The Auckland Regional Council is understood to be contesting Toll's alleged claim that it would be liable for any redundancy costs, but would not directly confirm this last night.