Union Denial Of Benmore Strike

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30093, 29 March 1963, Page 10

Union Denial Of Benmore Strike

The Benmore branch of the New Zealand Workers’ Union did not at its meeting on Wednesday take any vote on strike action and did not ask for the transfer of the construction superintendent (Mr W. A Shellock), as reported in a Press Association message from Dunedin, said the South Island secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union (Mr W A. Dempster) yesterday “Strike action was discussed, but the speakers were against this action.” Mr

Dempster said. “It was decided, on a secret vote, to institute a series of rolling stoppages of union members on different sections of the job because of the ultimatum issued by the Commissioner of Works (Mr J T. Gilkison) This ultimatum was that workers should resume normal working relations with the ministry staff at Benmore. "This is not a strike, or strike action, by the union A strike would bring the whole project to a standstill. “The union, at no time, has referred to or discussed the transfer of Mr Shellock to another job. A deputation from the local union, including a national executive member of the union, has waited on Mr Shellock, who has unreservedly accepted the union’s statement to this effect"

The acting project engineer (Mr G. Tait) had also agreed to investigate the sending of such a report by the ministry's own public relations

officer on the Benmore project, Mr Dempster said. This officer was the editor of the ministry’s weekly magazine, the “Otematata Chronicle,” and was also a radio news correspondent, Mr Dempster said Mr Dempster said that he had been asked for a statement for the radio news in the evening, and replied that he could not make any statement unital the ministry's head office in Wellington and the union’s general secretary (Mr H J. Allen, of Wellington) had been told of decisions taken by the .aeeting. He then added, jocularly, that the correspondent should not press him for information, as he could get the sack. Next morning he read in the newspapers that he had said that any comment would place his job in jeopardy The most serious aspect of the report was that no reason had been given for the local union’s vote to institute rolling stoppages after March 31. Mr Dempster said. The union, at local and national level, had been negotiating with the Ministry of Works over 18 major points of dispute, which included a motion of no-confidence In Mr Shellock. Hie union, however, had never at any time made any reference at meetings, or publicly, to the transfer of Mr Shellock. but only that differences between Mr Shellock and the local branch of the union should be ironed out to the satisfaction of both parties The Assistant Commissioner of Works (Mr A E. Clack)

said at a meeting at Otematata that he would recommend that a committee of inquiry be set up to investigate the union’s complaints concerning the ministry’s inability to police safety regulations, fire safety, transport regulations, dangerous faults in machinery, care and maintenance of machinery, incompetence of staff personnel to direct labour, and other complaints. said Mr Dempster. “The union, on Mr Clark’s statement that he would recommend an inquiry into these matters, withdrew its complaints in the meantime, but persisted with its demands that assurances by the Minister of Works (Mr Goosman) that steps would be taken to stop condensation in homes at Otematata and would be carried out before this winter "The union was then informed by letter over the signature of Mr Gilkison that it had offered insufficient evidence in support of the complaints, complaints which it had withdrawn temporarily.

“The union also learned that the Ministry of Works was not going to implement the steps which Mr Goosouun had assured would be carried out in making the homes more livable. “The union has thus decided, by secret vote, to implement rolling stoppages after March 31 as a protest against Mr Gilkaaon’a ultimatum and against the ministry’s decision to ignore promises given by Mr Goosman," Mr Dempster sard.