DISPUTE ENDS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29459, 10 March 1961, Page 8

DISPUTE ENDS

Work Aj*ain At Firestone

The dispute at the Fire-I stone Tire and Rubber Com- 1 pany's works at Papanui has’ been referred to a disputes; committee, and pending the 1 committee's decision work will be resumed and the disputed payments restored. The factory was to start j again with the midnight shift’ last night, after having been; idle since Tuesday morning.* The payments disputed were to four men for filling in time and running sheets. The agreement to resume work was made yesterday morning when representatives of the Canterbury Rubberworkers’ Union met the company management. Before this meeting, works, members of the union met to consider the position and endorsed a statement prepared by the union’s secretary (Mr T. C. F. Fletcher) in reply to a statement by a company spokesman in “The Press” yesterday. The union statement said that the Firestone plant agreement on disputes, made on February 15, had been passed by the workers with a majority of only 12 on a secret ballot. If the ballot were to be taken now. “after at least six bonus disputes in various parts of the factory.” the agreement would be rejected. The workers interpreted the disputes clause "only as a direction to a procedure.” and would not allow it to be used to prevent workers from resisting an attack by an employer on earnings and working conditions.