‘No-Beer’ Threat Off

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30802, 14 July 1965, Page 1

‘No-Beer’ Threat Off

A proposal that barme n in Ashburton hotels be instructed by their union to refuse to sene beer has been withdrawn because of a decision of the Ashburton Licensing Trust not to change hours of work and bonus payments.

The general manager of the Ashburton Licensing Trust (Mr C. Moody) said last evening that hotel staff had been offered new proposals which included overtime. It was thought these proposals, which were an increase on present rates, would have been acceptable. As they had not been accepted the trust had decided that the existing conditions would remain unchanged. When told of Mr Moody’s statement last evening the secretary of the Canterbury Hotel Workers' Union (Mr L. N. Short) said that if the trust reverted to the existing conditions the union would have no argument with it. “It looks as though they are going to do what they should have done in the first place.” he said. Earlier yesterday Mr Short told “The Press” he would tomorrow recommend to a

stop-work meeting of all bar staff at both Ashburton hotels that the barmen refuse to serve beer. This would be done unless the Hotel Devon and Hotel Somerset, both owned by the Ashburton Licensing Trust, granted the recent full award increase which was offered by employers in conciliation and accepted by the union.

The increase to barmen under the new award was 17s 2d a week.

The Ashburton Licensing Trust had issued a memorandum to all bar staff that hours of work would be changed, Mr Short said. This would deprive bar staff of their broken-shift allowance of 10s a week, which they had received since the inception of the trust in 1951. The allowance was payable for bar staff having an hour and a half off for lunch, to avoid paying overtime for the 20 minutes to half an hour worked after 6 p.m. The barmen had also been told their over-award bonus, which had been paid by the trust for several years, would cease. In many cases it amounted to fl a week.

In return the trust was prepared to pay half-an-bour overtime a night between 6 n.m. and 6.30 p.m. It claimed this would increase barmen's

wages by 34s a week, less the 30s a week . . the trust is taking from them," Mr Short said.

“In effect this is a 4s a week increase for an additional two hours and a half of work a week.” Mr Short said a full report on the new hotel workers’ award Would be made at meetings of hotel workers which would be called in Timaru on July 21. He would attend the Timaru meetings.