The engineers who staged a 24-hour strike at the harbour last week could find that their action backfires on them as new moves are made to privatise their jobs. Senator Jim Perchard was so incensed by the strike that he is pushing for the harbour to be put in private hands. Meanwhile, Social Security Minister Paul Routier is close to putting out to consultation new laws which could ensure that wildcat walkouts will be illegal by the autumn. Senator Routier said that the amendments to the Employment Relations Law were likely to ensure that at least a week’s notice of a strike would have to be given to an employer. ‘We are not saying that people will not be able to go on strike – we are saying that they should have to give notice,’ he said.
