North Island Strikes Spread

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

North Island Strikes Spread

Industrial troubles continued in Auckland and Wellington today, according to a Press Association report. A number of hotels in Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty ran out of draught beer because of the brewery drivers’ strike.

At the New Zealand Glass Company’s Penrose plant 30 drivers and about 100 engineers struck yesterday when the firm rejected a 7.6 per cent pay rise demand. There will be another meeting today. At the Penrose factory of James Hardie and Company. Ltd, production was halted when 210 asbestos workers struck over a similar claim. At the Glenbrook steel mill site 13 steel riggers continued their strike, now in its fourth week, for a new site rate. Engineers and boilermakers employed on another section of the job are now on strike after the dismissal of a man there. Tanker drivers at New Zealand Breweries, Ltd, yesterday morning decided to continue their strike. The Auckland general manager for New Zealand Breweries, Mr L. G. Piper, said most of the 200 hotels sup-

plied by the brewery were now out of draught beer. Bottled stocks were getting low.

Several New Zealand Breweries hotels in Waikato are out of draught beer. Several Bay of Plentyhotels have exhausted draught beer stocks. Wellington Strike

Brewery drivers in Wellington struck yesterday morning. The premises of New Zealand Breweries were picketed soon after 9 o'clock, and it was not until midday that the strike was confirmed as official.

A meeting of the union scheduled for Wednesday was held yesterday. The secretary of the Wellington union, Mr K. G. Douglas, said the employers had replied sooner than expected. The decision to strike was implementing a decision at a Federation of Labour conference on Thursday, he said.