Rubber Workers Out Till Friday

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31726, 9 July 1968, Page 1

Rubber Workers Out Till Friday

The 200 workers at Empire Rubber Mills, Ltd, Woolston, who struck last Thursday, plan to stay at home at least until midday on Friday.

A a meeting yesterday morning the strikers decided that they would meet again at 10 a.m. on Friday, said the secretary of the Canterbury Rubber Workers’ Union (Mr T. Fletcher) last evening. “We will not return to work till the dismissed worker returns with us,” said a resolution adopted at the meeting. Offers were made by both parties to the dispute yesterday in the hope that a settlement could be reached. The management offered to reinstate the dismissed job delegate, Mr H. Melhopt, in a fortnight on condition that Mr Melhopt make a written apology for his alleged behaviour towards a foreman and a woman member of the office staff and that the union reprimand Mr Melhopt. Union members say that it would be almost unprecedented for a union secretary to censure a job delegate at the request of management Mr Fletcher said that he had asked the manager of the company (Mr S. Betty) what Mr Melhopt was alleged to have said.

“Mr Betty could not confirm for me what the words used were,” said Mr Fletcher.

“By this time Mr Melhopt had been firmly sacked.” Reports were made to yesterday’s meeting by the union’s president (Mr C. Hanson), the vice-president (Mr R. Heaney) and job delegates (Messrs F. Clements and J. Taylor). Mr Fletcher said the union contended that when dismissals were contemplated the union should be notified of the suspension and given the opportunity to discuss whether the punishment was just.

Mr Fletcher said that no union would take the dismissal of bne of its job delegates lightly. Mr Betty had no comment to make yesterday.