Ultimatum To Firemen

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30342, 18 January 1964, Page 16

Ultimatum To Firemen

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, January 17. The Auckland Fire Board has issued an ultimatum to all its firemen that any not returning to full duties by 9 a.m. tomorrow will be dismissed. The Auckland Firemen’s Union has recommended that its members should return to work normally, but it will hold a meeting on Sunday evening to decide whether to obey the ultimatum.

The union members have been refusing routine duties for two weeks in support of the union’s demand for an inquiry into its industrial relations with the board. The secretary of the union (Mr A. W. Monk) said tonight that it was hoped the firemen would follow the union’s recommendation to return to normal duties in the morning. “Feeling in the union has been running very high and it may be that at the meeting on Sunday members will vote against accepting the board’s ultimatum,” he said. “That would mean that We would all be dismissed. “That would mean that Auckland would be without a fire brigade some time next week. Only the chief fire officer and his deputy would remain to man the station if the board dismissed all the union members.”

In a statement issued to staff today, the board said that in the hope that normal work would recommence it had continued paying full wages to all staff since January 3, although they had been refusing routine duties. “But, as some 14 days have elapsed since that date and full work has not been resumed, it now notifies all staff that it is do longer prepared to continue this course.” After stating that the staff must return to full duties or their employment would end, the board said they would nevertheless be permitted to remain in their present quarters and would be paid for essential services. This amounts to 66 2-3rds of the wage fixed by the award for full servicesTh statement is signed by the chief fire officer, Mr L. F. Wilson, and the board's secretary, Mr R. J. W. Lewis.