Action On Job Recommended

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31206, 2 November 1966, Page 18

Action On Job Recommended

A recommendation that action be taken against Fletcher Construction Company jobs in Christchurch to obtain a settlement on wages and conditions will be made at a stop-work meeting on Monday.

The secretary of the Canterbury Carpenters, Joiners, Machinists, Plasterers, and Bricklayers’ Union (Mr R. 3. Pitcairn) said yesterday that the recommendation was adopted unanimously by employees of the company who attended a special meeting last Monday.

The the meeting was to decide what action was necessary to obtain the wages and conditions prevailing in Auckland and Wellington for Fletcher Construction Company workers. Mr Pitcairn said that in Auckland and Wellington Fletcher’s were paying a ruling rate of 9s 7d an hour by agreement, plus 2d an hour industrial allowance in lieu of certain clauses covering penalty payments, and one hour minimum travelling time a day. In Christchurch. Fletcher's were paying only 9s 4}d an hour plus half an hour minimum travelling time. In Christchurch there wls no industrial allowance. The stop-work meeting will begin at 3 p.m. Decisions

made would be binding on all employees. A spokesman fOr the company said that Fletcher’s had offered to pay the 2d an hour industrial allowance in Christchurch, but this offer had been declined by the union. Fletcher’s had declined to meet the union’s other two requests for increases.

The 2d an hour industrial allowance had been offered to bring Fletcher’s into line with competitors in Christchurch. he said.