Otago Railwaymen Oppose Stoppage

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31346, 17 April 1967, Page 3

Otago Railwaymen Oppose Stoppage

(New Zealand Press Association) DUNEDIN, April 16. The Otago branch of the Amalgamated Society .of Railway Servants has decided not to join a New : Zealand-wide series of stop-work meetings to discuss a possible loss of margins for skill.

After a meeting of the branch this morning the chairman, Mr K. S. Hopkins, said that, although the branch supported margins for skill, a majority of the members opposed the stop-work meeting proposed for the area on Wednesday between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

When asked the reason for the decision, Mr Hopkins said: “To hold a two-hour stopwork meeting to hear someone tell us something we already know is futile. It is only penalising some workers. Everybody would not be there to hear the speaker.” Mr Hopkins said there were other ways for the workers to get the information about the margins issue. The Hawera branch of the A.S.R.S. would not support the call for a national stop-work meeting, the secretary, Mr E. Stewart, said yesterday. Eighty per cent of the 80strong branch was opposed to the plan. Tradesmen’s Mandate Mr D. Crosado, national president of the Railway Tradesmen’s Association, said New Zealand might face a national rail stoppage if the Government persisted in its “interference” with a pay award increase granted to railwaymen by the Railways Tribunal.

The association has a mem- ; bership of about 2500. Mr Crosado said the Prime Minister’s statement on rul- ■ ing rates had done nothing - to ease the concern his mem--5 bers felt over Government interference. Association members ! throughout the country had given the national executive , a mandate to take what action ' they felt necessary if the Gov- ’ eminent ignored the tribunal’s J recommendation. That mandate might result , in the executive agreeing to ' call a strike when it consid- ! ered the issue in Wellington : this week. “The Prime Minister is twisting facts and only telling half the story when he ’ says the Supreme Court mere- > ly said the Railways Tribunal was obliged to consider all wage-fixing criteria set out in relative legislation,” he said. 1 “What he has not said and ) apparently completely ignores 1 is that the Tribunal when i hearing the claims from the 5 R.T.A. and the A.S.R.S. was s well aware of evidence i brought forward by the Rail- ) ways Department. But it still s awarded 6d an hour to indentured tradesmen.”