Carpenters Watch Blocklayers’ Ban

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31520, 7 November 1967, Page 18

Carpenters Watch Blocklayers’ Ban

Any attempt by the employers to use “black labour” (other labour) in an attempt to break the blocklaying ban on the City Council pensioner flats in Conference Street could quickly result in the ban spreading to carpenters.

The secretary of the Canterbury Carpenters’ Union (Mr R. J. Pitcairn) said that all carpenters on the job were advised of this possibility at a special lunch-time meeting yesterday. The carpenters were advised that if the builders, Atkinson and Forbes, Ltd, considered manning the job with other blocklayers, a further special meeting of carpenters would be called. Mr Pitcairn left Christchurch last evening to attend the annual conference of the New Zealand Carpenters’ Union in Wellington. While he is away the carpenters’ affairs are being handled by

carpenters’ union organiser (Mr J. Clough). The Conference Street job was declared “black” for blocklaying on Friday. The five blocklayers there want a wage rate, with a minimum travelling allowance, comparable with that paid to carpenters. The blocklayers are also insisting on the abolition of the bonus scheme, with which they are dissatisfied. The job was picketed most of yesterday to ensure that other labour was not used for blocklaying. “Except for the absence of blocklayers the contract is proceeding normally,” said a spokesman for the company yesterday. "We feel that any increase in rates should be decided by the Arbitration Court. The blocklayers who walked off the council flat contract were employed on the same basis as the majority of blocklaying firms in Christchurch,” he said. “They were receiving a basic wage of 12 cents an hour above the award rates, plus tool allowance and travelling time as set out in the blocklayers’ award,” the spokesman said.