Mr Walsh Predicts Another Fertiliser Strike

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29908, 23 August 1962, Page 9

Mr Walsh Predicts Another Fertiliser Strike

INew Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Aug. 22. More than £7OOO had been collected as union contributions to the fertiliser workers' strike support fund, said the president of the Federation of Labour (Mr F. P. Walsh) today when he gave a balance sheet on the fund to the press. Of that amount £3OOO had been paid out to the strikers earlier this year. The balance, £4235 13s, was to be held in a separate trust fund “for the purpose of assisting those workers who gave so generously to support the fertiliser workers during the strike.” With conditions in the industry at present again disturbed, because fertiliser works employers were not fulfilling promises they had made to get work resumed, there was a possibility the money would still be needed for another strike in the same industry, said Mr Walsh. The supplied balance sheet showed the total collection as £7019 18s lid. The amount shown as paid out was £2784 5s lid.

To that figure, said Mr Walsh, must be added an amount of £247. “This was collected at Wanganui and paid out there and did not go through the books, so it is not shown on the balance sheet.” Fertiliser workers had backed the F.O.L. executive decision to place the surplus strike money in a separate trust fund, he said. He showed reporters a letter from the fertiliser workers’ secretary (Mr H. G. Chitham).

This said that recent meetings of the Northern Chemical Fertiliser Workers’ Society and the New Plymouth branch of the society had backed the decision. “We wish to thank the national executive and, in particular, the president of tihe Federation of Labour for obtaining for our workers better conditions and wages than they previously enjoyed,” said the letter.

The decision of the executive had been approved by a meeting of the national council of the F.O.L. today, said

Mr Walsh. There had been one dissentient, Mr W. Rich, ards (Otago). Returning to the fertiliser industry, Mr Walsh said he was expecting to call a conference shortly to discuss the matters still in dispute there between workers and employers. “Within the next fortnight there may be a strike in the fertiliser industry again,” said Mr Walsh. “If this is the case the strike fund money will be used to fight for them.” f