Firemen’s Strike To Begin Tomorrow

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30630, 22 December 1964, Page 18

Firemen’s Strike To Begin Tomorrow

All firemen in New Zealand, with the exception of those in country districts, Wellington officers, and Dunedin, would begin a limited strike tomorrow morning within an hour of 8 a.m., z\ f secretar y of the New Zealand Fire Brigades’ Federation ,(Mr G. G. Walker) in Christchurch yesterday.

The 90 Christchurch firemen would strike from 8 a.m. tomorrow, he said.

Brigadesmen in all centres, he said, would respond to all fire calls but would withhold their labour from routine duties around the station. The exact time the firemen of the different centres would begin their strike would depend on their normal shift change-over times. Firemen in Timaru, for example, said Mr Walker, would strike at 7 a.m. tomorrow.

The firemen are striking because they want a 40-hour week, with penal payments

for all time worked in excess of 40 hours.

Asked why the firemen were beginning their limited strike on Wednesday, instead of the originally announced Tuesday, Mr Walker said that the firemen were taking meticulous care to give the employers 14 clear days’ notice of intention to strike, as required by the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act.

“We are giving them something like 21 hours’ extra notice, so as to be beyond any criticism on this point,” said Mr Walker. To bring about any lastminute halt of the proposed strike, he said, some great offers would have to be made by the employers. No com-

pulsory conference had been called.

Information about support Tor the firemen was expected from the Federation of Labour late yesterday, said Mr Walker. The chairman of the Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Board (Mr W. R. Campbell) said yesterday afternoon that the threats to strike had been made and the board assumed that the firemen were “doing it” “We don’t know,” said Mr Campbell.

In the event of a strike taking place, he said, a special meeting would be held in the board room and the newspapers would be advised.

“I assume the board would wish to discuss it in committee, as it has done in the past and give a statement to the newspapers after the meeting,” said Mr Campbell.

“That is what I presume but then I am only one member of the board.”

The board, he said, had recommendations from the executive of the Urban Fire Authorities Industrial Union of Employers which would be discussed by the board. Mr Campbell said the executive was anxious that boards affected by the pro-; posed strike should act I uniformly. Mr Campbell’ said he had heard nothing; new from the Fire Brigades’ i Federation about the strike.]