Papanui Tyre Factory Strike

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30480, 30 June 1964, Page 1

Papanui Tyre Factory Strike

All production stopped at the Papanui factory of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of New Zealand, Ltd., at 4 p.m. yesterday, when the 120 workers went on strike, said the secretary of the Canterbury Rubber Workers* Union (Mr T. Fletcher). When approached, Mr Fletcher said the strike began immediately after a half-hour’s stop-work meeting.

“The men decided to strike as a protest against what they interpreted as an injustice to 25 workers in the factory recently," he said. “The 25 workers were dismissed by the management a few weeks ago under the guise of redundancy. Then the same 25 workers were invited back to work by written notice from the management after they had lost some 10 to 15 days’ work.” Mr Fletcher said the 25 men were then informed by the management that their aggregate of service had been wiped out. “At least three men lost the third week of their annual holidays that they were entitled to after 10 years' consecutive service with the one

company,” said Mr Fletcher. Mr Fletcher said that others of the 25 men had given service to the company ranging from 12 months to nine years.

Mr Fletcher said that the men had agreed to meet on Wednesday at 3 p.m. to consider any developments. The 3.30 p.m. shift of the Firestone factory yesterday went home without doing any work for the day.