Attitude Of F.O.L.

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30631, 23 December 1964, Page 1

Attitude Of F.O.L.

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, December 22.

The president of the Federation of Labour (Mr T. E. Skinner) said in Wellington tonight that the Federation’s national executive was not in a position to support the Fire Brigades’ Federation’s decision to cease routine duties without a fuller knowledge of all the facts.

The national executive, however, was prepared to call a meeting of all fire brigade unions which were parties to the dispute in the new year in an effort to resolve the dispute satisfactorily.

The national executive’s hands had been tied because the dispute had not been officially handed over to it. It had therefore had no chance of negotiating or even

of being aware of what led up to the action proposed by the Fire Brigades’ Federation, Mr Skinner said. The F.O.L. was concerned at the apparent split in the Fire Brigades’ Federation and was naturally anxious to see some uniformity of policy in the ranks of the firemen. The national executive had, however, endorsed the decision not to refuse fire-fight-ing duties.