Bid To Stop Bus Strike

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30763, 29 May 1965, Page 1

Bid To Stop Bus Strike

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, May 28. The Auckland private bus companies sent an urgent telegram to the Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) today, calling on him to stop the threatened 24-hour stoppage by their drivers next week.

The telegram was sent during a two-hour meeting of the Auckland branch of the Omni-

bus Proprietors' Association, which declared in a statement after the meeting that the drivers’ intended action was irresponsible and would disrupt the Auckland travelling public and industry. The proprietors said that both conciliation councils with the Northern Drivers’ Union, representing the bus drivers, had been adjourned at the request of the union. The association had not objected to the two stopwork meetings which came after the councils, although they were a breach of industrial legislation, because it consid-

ered the drivers had a right to talk about their problems. In their telegram, the bus proprietors said their drivers had threatened strike action next Thursday if their award claims were not met, but the claims were still properly before the conciliation council and the intended action would flout New Zealand industrial law.

“The proprietors strongly urge you to uphold the law and ensure the drivers and their union withdraw this threat and proceed correctly through conciliation and arbitration,” said the telegram.