Protest By Drivers On Wage Offer

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29913, 29 August 1962, Page 15

Protest By Drivers On Wage Offer

More than 800 drivers filled the stalls of the Civic Theatre yesterday morning for a stop-work meeting held by the Canterbury Drivers’ Union as part of a national protest against the “low” wage increase of 6s 8d offered by their employers.

There was an attendance of 100 at a similar meeting in Ashburton, the biggestattended drivers’ union meeting there for some years.

All commercial transport in Christchurch was immobilised from 8 am. to 930 am yesterday. with the exception of passenger buses, taxis, and local-body vehicles The men went back to work immediately the meeting was over Officials of the New Zealand Drivers’ Federation will again meet the employers in conciliation on Friday, when the results of yesterday morning's stop-work meetings will be discussed The union aims at an increase of at least 13s 4d a week.

The stop-work meeting in the Civic Theatre was addressed by the president of the Canterbury Drivers' Union <Mr L. R Peachey) and the secretary (Mr A S Roberts) the chairman of the Canterbury district council of the Federation of Labour (Mr F L Langley), representatives of the Amalgamated Society of Railways Servants (Messrs A E Armstrong and C Wake] in>. and the South Island secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union (Mr W A Dempster), all of whom received an attentive hearing

The meeting passed the following resolution: “This meeting of drivers employed under the New Zealand motor and horse drivers’ award expresses disgust

with the low increase of wages offered by the employers. and recommends that the national council of the New Zealand Drivers' Federation be called together to discuss further action if a satisfactory settlement is not reached when the Conciliation Council resumes on Friday" The meeting also expressed "sincere thanks and appreciation" to the Canterbury district council of the Federation of Labour and its affiliations for support and co-operation during the present dispute The New Zealand Press Association reports that similar meetings were held at Auckland (about 3000 attending). Gisborne (97), New Plymouth. Wellington (about 700), and Dunedin (about 300) Two hundred members of the Federated Seamen's Union at Wellington yesterday morning unanimously decided to pledge support to the Nev.Zealand Drivers’ Federation in its negotiations with employers for a new award, said the seamen's and Federation of Labour president (Mr F. P Walsh) yesterday.