Dispute Affecting 38 Firms

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31027, 5 April 1966, Page 3

Dispute Affecting 38 Firms

(Neu? Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, April 4. Thirty-eight contracting firms are now involved in the Auckland drivers’ dispute.

Last night the president of the Auckland branch of the Associated Contractors’ Association (Mr M. Batten) said the dispute was assuming serious proportions and dozens of road contracting jobs had been disrupted.

A spokesman for the Auckland Master Carriers’ Association estimated that about 400 drivers would have been given notice by tonight.

The secretary of the Northern Drivers’ Union (Mr G. H. Andersen) said he understood the drivers’ action in refusing overtime was a breach of the Master and Servant Act but the trade union movement had never submitted to compulsory overtime. The secretary of the Auckland Labourers’ Union, Mr H. Kay, said the present dispute was one of many which would occur in other industries unless adequate ruling wage rates were paid. STOP-WORK MEETING Deliveries of all goods in metropolitan Auckland will come to a standstill on Wed-

nesday morning while 2000 members of the Northern Drivers’ Union attend a stopwork meeting.

But a union official said that drivers employed in the brewing and petrol industries and already out of the city would not be recalled for the meeting.

The meeting will not affect the Auckland Regional Authority, other public passenger transport services, local body truck drivers or ambulance drivers. WEEK OLD

The dispute began a week ago when Bitumix, Ltd., rejected a Drivers’ Union claim for Is an hour increase on the ruling rate, which ranges between 7s llld and 8s 7d. A small number of drivers is being paid 9s an hour. This morning labourers employed by Bitumix agreed to carry out normal duties, including overtime

A union official said they would handle any materials which before the dispute were normally taken to a job bycontracting carriers. But they would not accept materials taken in overtime hours except by owner-drivers who were regularly employed by Bitumix. Auckland watersiders agreed not to handle produce and materials driven by labour acting outside the ban imposed by the Drivers’ Union. NOT APPROACHED The president of the Federation of Labour (Mr T. E. Skinner) said he had not been approached by the Drivers' Union to assist in the dispute. Mr S. R. English, president of the Queen street Business Association, said Wednesday was one of the two big delivery days this week because of the Easter holiday. Both incoming and outgoing goods would be affected and food supplies wanted for Wednesday would have to be brought in tomorrow.