Bar Dispute Continues HOTELASSOCIATION TO TAKE ACTION

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31497, 11 October 1967, Page 1

Bar Dispute Continues HOTELASSOCIATION TO TAKE ACTION

The Canterbury Hotel Association would take legal proceedings against the secretary of the Canterbury Hotel Workers’ Union (Mr L. N. Short) for his part in the failure of some members of his union to work to their award and conditions of employment, said the president of the association (Mr A. F. G. McGregor) last evening.

The association had forwarded notice of its intention to take action against Mr Short to the Minister of Labour (Mr Shand), said Mr McGregor.

“There are lawful means for dissentients to pursue their grievance if they think they have one, but I see no reason why many loyal employees should be coerced into unlawful conduct and the public put to inconvenience, frustration and annoyance in enjoying the amenities for which they voted and for which Parliament legislated,” Mr McGregor said.

The executive officer of the Canterbury Hotel Association (Mr E. H. Williams) .said last evening that barmen were working in 80 per cent of the 38 hotels within the city belts after 7 p.m yesterday. “They are either permaent barmen or casual barmen. They disagree with the union executive direction, taken without a vote or meeting of the union members, to stop work at 7 p.m,” Mr Williams j said.

Mr Williams, and several licensees telephoned, considered that barmen were working in more hotels last

evening than were working on Monday evening. Not one hotel in Christchurch closed at 7 o’clock last evening. Twenty hotels in the city were being manned by union barmen, either full-time or part-time barmen, Mr McGregor said. One hotel had six union barmen working, and three others had four union barmen employed until closing time. Fewer Drinkers

On Monday evening one hotel in the middle of the city had only one bar open, manned by the proprietor and his family. Last evening the hotel had two bars open and both were manned by union barmen, Mr McGregor said. Attendances in the hotels were much smaller than they were on Monday evening. The Canterbury Hotel Workers’ Union will hold a meeting in the Trades Hall at 9.15 a.m. today. A bulletin signed by Mr Short was delivered to barmen yesterday.

It said that “good support has been given to your representatives on the matter of the 7 p.m. finish until employers accede to our claims for night shift payments. “Officials thank all loyal members who are carrying the struggle in the meantime. “Remember, the employers’ offer is only conditional, and if you give in now you will get nothing for giving up your entire social and family life. If we give way at this stage, all employers’ offers will be withdrawn and workers’ pay packets will be smaller.” Defiance Denied Mr Short denied yesterday that full-time barmen had defied a union directive not to work after 7 p.m. on Monday. Referring to a report in “The Press” yesterday that “many barmen decided to defy the Canterbury Hotel Workers’ Union ban,” Mr Short said that 80 per cent of full-time barmen in Christ-

church did not work on Monday night. “Our examination revealed that full-time barmen were working in only five city and suburban hotels,” he said. “In some of these the licensees had agreed to pay the barmen well above the overtime rate we were asking for all barmen,” he said. Mr Short said the union was quite pleased about the way the barmen were enforcing the ban. Their stand had been supported by some hotel managers who had offered their support to the union for better working conditions. Today’s Meeting “They feel we are right In this case,” he said. “It will be over to the workers to decide at today’s meeting what they are going to do in future.” Asked to comment on a statement by Mr McGregor that the legality of the union directive to barmen would be challenged, Mr Short said the union was quite entitled to take the action.

“In fact, we were acting on a request from the barmen themselves and this will be endorsed or otherwise at today’s meeting,” he said.

Mr Short said the association had tried to get the legislation rushed through Parliament to keep on side with the public. “But they have not got decent facilities for drinkers. In some hotels , there are no seating arrangements. “Given a month they would have had time to offer facilities in keeping with 10 o’clock closing," he said. Early Opening Two hotels in Lyttelton, the Canterbury and the Mitre, will apply to the Christchurch licensing committee to open earlier than 11 a.m. and close before 10 p.m. Questioned last evening, the proprietor of the Canterbury Hotel (Mr A. Scott), said that there had been several complaints already in the port about no hotels being open until 11 a.m. “My application will be to open at 8 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.—or something in that order. Night watchmen, shift workers, workers on ship’s gear, crew members and passengers on ships sailing before 11 a.m. had no hotels to go to to obtain liquor to take away or have a farewell drink with friends before sailing,” Mr Scott said. He said that there were eight hotels in Lyttelton serving a population of only 3000. There were not enough customers for all the hotels to remain open until 10 p.m. The only work created by later closing which police found in Christchurch last night were a few minors found in bars. The number was said to be small.