More Negotiations On Airport Dispute

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31676, 11 May 1968, Page 1

More Negotiations On Airport Dispute

Negotiations on the dispute involving crash fire officers at Christchurch Airport would be continued in Wellington on Monday between head office officials of the Public Service Association and representatives of the Department of Civil Aviation and the State Services Commission, Mr J. M. McKenzie, secretary-organiser of the Canterbury branch of the association, said yesterday.

“I have received no information from head office that I am to ask the men to postpone action or otherwise,” said Mr McKenzie. The crash fire officers plan to do day duties only from midnight on Monday. They claim that their meal allowances and transport allowances are being cut by Government economy measures. Mr McKenzie said that unless the firemen received the meal allowances in accordance with a State Services Commission formula they stood to

lose 75c for each meal that they would not get. Some of these firemen might normally be entitled to one to four such meals a week. He said that if the men were not able to get the transport allowance to which they were entitled they could lose from II to $5 a week each, depending on the distances they had to travel to work outside public transport hours.