F.O.L. SEEKS AID IN CABLE DISPUTE

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29937, 26 September 1962, Page 14

F.O.L. SEEKS AID IN CABLE DISPUTE

Engineers’ Union Official Asked To Mediate

(N.Z Press Association)

WELLINGTON, September 25.

The Federation of Labour’s national council today called on the secretary of a union not affiliated to the F.O.L. to use his influence to find a solution to the industrial disputes at Cables and Tubewrights.

The course of the Gable dispute has been described by industrial experts as “inOst unusual,” but today’s Federation of Labour move was even more curious.

The national secretary of the Engineers’ Union (Mr J. A. Neale), confirmed tonight that he had been approached by the F.O.L. to use his influence in an effort to get a satisfactory settlement of the dispute.

Whether the employers will be prepared to consider any negotiations or propositions will not be known until tomorrow.

During the course of the meeting of the F.O.L council today both the Engineers' Union and, the North Island Electrical Workers’ Union were, asked to send delegates along to meet the council The Electrical Workers' Union refused, but Mr Neale and his Wellington branch secretary, Mr R. Darbyshire, accepted the invitation. After the meeting, neither would make any comment. It was known that though the engineers at Cables had also sought the 214 per cent, general wage order to be paid to workers on rates above award—the subject of the dispute--they had refused to observe any but the overtime ban of the FO L and had ignored the FOL. call to all union members to leave Cables. The electrical workers, on the other hand, observed all the FO L. bans, but decided at a secret ballot not to accept the call to resign from employment. When the national council meeting ended this evening, the F.O.L. president (Mr F P Walsh) was asked why the engineers’ representatives had been called in. He said they bad been called “w'ith the object of seeing if we could find a way to get their support to resolve the dispute successfully ” “They said they are prepared to co-operate,” said Walsh, but he did not indicate what this “co-operation” involved, except to say that they were not being called on to resign from Cables.

Mr Walsh said he was not vet in a position to say whether there could be any compromise solution Asked if he was going to have any discussions with the employers or the Government. Mr Walsh said: “Not

with the Government. We are always prepared to open negotiations with the employers, but we have not yet been in touch with them, because 1 have been too much involved in this meeting ” F.O.L. Attitude Mr Walsh said the F.O.L did not want to do anything that “will do anything to prejudice a settlement of the dispute at this stage.” “I am hopeful that the matter will be settled before the end of the week. lam always an optimist.” He said he believed that people could calm down and discuss the claim on its merits, s When'the secretary of the Employers’ Federation (Mr P. J. Luxford) was asked if there was any chance of negotiations being opened, he said that he could not say till an approach had been made by the other side. Mr Luxford wmuld not comment further but it is believed Mr Neale has already been in touch with executives of William Cable. Ltd., informing them of the F.O.L. council’s decision,, and that the firm passed the information on to the Employers’ Federation meeting which was in progress till after 6 p.m. No comment was forthcoming on this from Mr Luxford, but the indications are that the matter will be discussed. in the morning. Any settlement could involve the immediate return to work of the men. But, if these moves fail, there is still the possibility of an extension of the dispute, though this does not seem in keeping with the present mood of the parties. Mr Neale said he had promised the F.O.L. council that he would try to use his influence "because of the number of workers now unemployed as a result of the dispute."

People trying to interpret the F.O.L.’s move last night suggested that it was either trying to “set up” Mr Neale as a “fall guy” if no solution was found or that the F.O.L. was genuinely, looking for a peaceful way out in an effort to avoid a repetition of the 1951 industrial troubles, which the FOL did not support. Certainly the Wellington employers have not presented such a united front in an industrial dispute since 1951. The F.O.L/s latest moves must have been unexpected by the employers who were obviously wondering how the F.O.L. would react to the decision of some firms to finish Cables and Tubewrights’ unfinished work. Earlier today Mr Walsh’s only comment on the employer’s move was that they seemed to want to spread the dispute, but at the end of the day he said the F.O.L. council, which also had to discuss its attitude to “Truth” newspaper, hear a report on the banana boat dispute, and discuss a projected contempt of court case, had not got round to discussing other questions. Mr Walsh did say earliei that his long report ■ on the dispute had been unanimously adopted by the F.O.L. council and it had endorsed the actions taken by the Cables’ men. The council pledged support to the national executive in its conduct of the dispute, and endorsed the national executive’s decision that money collected and still in hand from the fertiliser workers’ strike appeal should be distributed to the men involved in the current dispute who urgently needed help, a decision to Launch a further appeal for funds at an appropriate time, if it was considered necessary by the national executive, was endorsed.