FIRE BRIGADE DISPUTE

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29366, 19 November 1960, Page 12

FIRE BRIGADE DISPUTE

Board Chairman’s Statement

The partial strike of Christchurch firemen, which has now lasted for four days, continued yesterday with little change in the situation. The Canterbury district council of the Federation of Labour, which previously decided that the strike to obtain a national award providing for uniform conditions of employment was justifiable, was yesterday accused by the chairman of the Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Board (Mr W. R. Campbell) of giving the Arbitration Court a “kick in the pants.” Mr Campbell said that the description of the strike as justifiable indicated that the Canterbury district council of the Federation of Labour was just as irresponsible as the Fire Brigades’ Union. “It is amazing that the council imagined it could obtain sufficient facts to give a considered opinion after sitting for two hours with the Fire Brigades' Union president," he said. “The main point is that the union has slapped the Arbitration Court in the face, and now the district council of the Federation of Labour gives it a kick in the pants for good measure,” said Mr Campbell. “I am confident that my board fully supports the principle of being fair in negotiating an award, but at the same time not agreeing to every whim and demand of the union.” Cause Of Delay Mr Campbell said that any delay in negotiating the award was on the part of the unions. “Documentary evidence of this can be produced,” he said. The president of the Canterbury Fire Brigades’ Union (Mr G. G. Walker) said last evening that if the members of the local disputes committee of the Federation of Labour thought that the Union had acted wrongly, then the union, being a responsible one and not irresponsible, as Mr Campbell said, would have gone back to work immediately. Mr Walker said he was waiting for a telegram calling him to Wellington for a meeting called by the Federation of Fire Brigade Unions. He said the meeting was being delayed until the Auckland union called a meeting to discuss the matter. It was expected that they would meet today. Mr Campbell said A meeting of his union last evening decided to ask the 12 firemen of the Timaru Fire Brigade, who are members of the Canterbury union, not to join in Christchurch’s partial stop-work action, Mr Walker said.