FIREMEN'S BEDS Committee Fails To Agree

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29896, 9 August 1962, Page 12

FIREMEN'S BEDS Committee Fails To Agree

The Christchurch Conciliation Commissioner (Mr S. W. Armstrong) yesterday appealed to representatives of the Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Board and Christchurch Fire Brigadesmen’s Union to come to an agreement which would "save the public and both parties being disturbed by pandeihonium which must arise if you do not come to an agreement on the proposed change from the old Central Fire Station to the new one.”

Mr Armstrong made this appeal after the parties had failed to reach agreement on the number of beds to be provided for firemen who will live off-station while off duty at the new station. Mr Armstrong was the chairman of a disputes committee set up to consider the dispute. "I will try to give a speedy decision. It will be posted to both parties by Friday night. That is the best I can do. It will, with both parties’ consent, be the decision of this disputes committee and. as such, can be appealed against by either party, the appeal to be heard in the Arbitration Court," Mr Armstrong said at the conclusion of the fourhour meeting.

"It may be weeks, or even months, before an appeal is heard in the Arbitration Court and what is worrying me, and the public, and representatives of both parties, is what is going to happen in the meantime in connexion with the move to the new Central fire station," Mr Armstrong said. The chairman of the Fire Board <Mr W. R. Campbell) in reply to Mr Armstrong, said that the firemen had been ordered by the board to vacate the old Central fire station on Tuesday and Wednesday next. After discussion by the parties on Mr Armstrong’s appeal for an agreement on conditions in which the move could be made "without pandemonium." pending any appeal hearing, the president of the Canterbury District Trades Council of the Federation of Labour (Mr F. L. Langley) said the union representatives hoped that "disruption and pandemonium” could be avoided, but that no guarantee concerning the projected move could be given at present. Status Quo

The industrial advocate far the New Zealand Urban Fire Authorities' Union of Employers (Mr G. A. Turner) said that the parties disagreed on what constituted the status quo while the matter was in dispute. The firemen’s union maintained it meant the men should remain in the old Central Fire Station or move to the new one with one bed for each firemen living off-station while off duty. The employers maintained that the provision of one bed for each two firemen was part of the national award and accommodation agreement and, as such, was the status quo. Messrs Campbell and Turner were the fire board’s representatives on the disputes committee. Mr Langley and the secretary of the Christchurch Fire Brigades-

men's Union (Mr G. G. Walker) were the union representatives.

The secretary of the Urban Fire Authorities’ Union of Employers iMr W. J. Langdon' and a member of the local trades council s disputes committee <Mr H R. Pitcairn) were present as observers. Issues The issues, agreed on by the parties, to be decided were: Whether separate beds should be provided, other than in the squadroom and watchroom. for men living off-station. Whether the existing rear access to married quarters giving on to Kilmore street was satisfactory, or whether some alternative method of access should be provided. Before the meeting commenced. Mr Armstrong and members of the committee inapected both the quarters for men living off-station at the new fire station and the quarters at the old station in Lichfield street. Mr Armstrong, at the start of the meeting, said that two reporters were present, and he took it that neither party had any objection to that. Mr Turner: We have no objection on our side. Mr Langley: We have no objection. I just want to say that 'The Press’ has committed contempt by publishing a photograph this morning of a room at the new fire station in which it looks as though' you could not get a cigarette in the room when the bed is in it. That is not the case. Mr Armstrong: I had a good look at that one myself. Access to Flats After both sides had put their points of view on the problem of rear access to the married quarters, Mr Armstrong said that there was no dispute for him to adjudicate on. "The only decent way that this problem can be solved is by convincing the Lyttelton Harbour Board that it must give a right-of-way on its parking lot to prqvide private access to the flats,” Mr Armstrong said. The board and the union agreed to continue to press the harbour board, jointly if necessary, to provide a strip of land. Mr Turner submitted that the Christchurch employers’ proposals for accommodation for off-station staff at the new Central Fire Station were in accordance with law. custom and agreement and should be upheld, and further, the worker’ claim could not be sustained. National Award Mr Langley conceded that the . national award was binding on the Christchurch union, but that the award “by any stretch of the imagination makes no reference to firemen having to double-up in the use of beds.” Mr Walker denied that he had ever agreed to one bed for two firemen and had “never thrown away the principle of separate beds for each firemen we now enjoy.” Mr Armstrong: When did it finally dawn on you that there would be two men using the one bed?

Mr Walker: On May 23 this year when we received official confirmation of it from the fire board. Are your men unanimous on the question of separate beds?—We took a secret ballot and it was 75 in favour of not moving to the new station unless we get separate beds, and five against it. One vote was informal.

In reply to Mr Armstrong Mr Walker said the men did not feel they would be cramped with two beds in one room.

Mr Campbell said the Chief Fire Officer (Mr L R. Osmond) had said the rooms, with two beds in, would be cramped at 8 a.m. when one man was stripping his bed and the other man was going on duty.

To Mr Armstrong, Mr Walker said the dispute over the beds in off-station quarters would involve 15 or 16 men.