Docking Wages Urged

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31316, 11 March 1967, Page 1

Docking Wages Urged

No wages should be paid to workers for the time they left their jobs to attend the stop-work meeting to be held in Latimer square on the morning of March 15, die president of the Canterbury Employers’ Association (Mr J. K. Dobson) said yesterday.

He said the association considered there was no justification for workers to bring industry to a standstill so that they could protest against the Government’s recent economic measures.

Any protest meeting should be held at a time which would not disrupt industry with its consequent loss for both the worker and the country, he said.

No Provision “There is no provision in any of our awards to enable workers who are absent from work for the purpose of attending meetings to receive payment of wages during their absence.” Mr Dobson said.

“As far as practicable employers should treat the day of the stopwork meeting as an ordinary working day and workers who attend for work should be employed and paid accordingly. “Those who absent themselves should have their wages deducted for their period of default from work-"

The Hailways Department In Christchurch will not be able to make any decisions about its employees attending next Wednesday’s stop-work meeting called by the Federation of Labour until it has the views of the two unions concerned.

In Christchurch yesterday, the district traffic manager

(Mr M. R. Leineweber) said he met A.S.R.S. officials during the morning and discussed problems which could arise if workers attended the meeting.

The unions will meet on Sunday. Should the members decide to attend the Wednesday meeting there would be practically no work done at Christchurch on Wednesday morning between 8 o’clock and noon, he said. Payment “Not Expected”

“Members of our union taking part in a four-hour stoppage to attend the Federation of Labour’s meeting at Latimer square on March 15 will not expect to be paid for their time off,” said the president of the Canterbury Glass Workers’ Union (Mr S. G. Isherwood) last evening.

He said the union would meet on Monday to decide whether to have a four-hour stoppage, but it was almost certain that it would. This would affect more than 250 workers.

“We have already told the works manager that this may happen and that we do not expect to ba paid. Five workers are on an attendance bonus and we have asked that this bonus be not touched, but if it is we will not make an issue of it” Mr Isherwood took issue with the president of the Canterbury Association (Mr J. K. Dobson) in his statement that workers who attended work should be employed and paid accordingly.

Watersiders To Attend

“Watersiders will cease work between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. next Wednesday to allow them to attend the stop-work meeting in Christchurch,” said the secretary of the Lyttelton Waterside Workers’ Union (Mr R. K. Fergus) yesterday. About 700 watersiders would be involved.