Both Sides Firm In Printers’ Dispute

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31904, 4 February 1969, Page 1

Both Sides Firm In Printers’ Dispute

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, February 3.

Both sides were standing firm tonight in the dispute between the management of the Wellington Publishing Company and the Wellington Printing and Related Trades Union. The dispute concerns a claim for increased pay rates for printers working on the company’s publication, the “Dominion-Sundav Times.”

The latest moves in the dispute have been the instruction to members of the Wellington Drivers’ Union not to deliver anything to or from the company’s premises—a delivery of ink to the company’s premises was immediately affected—and the stoppage of work by members of the Process and Engravers’ Union employed by the company, in sympathy with the printers.

Members of the national executive of the New Zealand Printing Trades Union will meet in Wellington to consider the dispute.

The president of the union (Mr W. H. Clement) who is , also secretary of the Wellington branch of the union, said this evening: “The ball is in the employers’ court. The next move is up to them.” Meanwhile, the “Dominion” is being produced by company executives and other staff members not involved in the dispute. The Wellington Trades Council met today, and voted its support for the Printing Trades Union. Minister’s Entry The Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) also entered the dispute, as a result of the Wellington Printing Trades Union’s publication in a leaflet today of remarks he bad made in a speech recently in Rotorua. The remark, as quoted, was: “A common fault among employers was to refuse to agree to requests reasonably put forward by reasonable union leaders, only to give way subsequently when militants took charge.” Mr Shand said in a statement today he did not normally consider that he should comment at all upon a dispute until he had had appropriate opportunity to examine the case, and elucidate the facts.

“But, in this case, by quoting me, the union leaves me no option,” he said. Mr Shand said, that the sequence of events in the dispute as reported to him were: “Almost four years ago, under duress, the Wellington Publishing Company agreed to pay a minimum rate of $2O a day for any work done on Saturdays on the ‘Sunday Times.’ This penal rate for a voluntary sixth shift on Saturday was, I am advised, without parallel in the printing trade in New Zealand. “The next point is, and here I quote from the union’s own leaflet: ‘For almost four years the union has made no request whatsoever for wage increases on the ‘Sunday Times,’ since its inception.’ “Just before Christmas, the union asked the management for an increase in Saturday rates,” said Mr Shand. “On January 21, the employers offered an increase in these rates of about 5 per cent. On January 28, the union rejected this and put! forward its demand for an increase of about 23 per cent in Saturday rates, requiring! a reply by mid-day the next] day This is, so far as I have been able to ascertain, the first time the union stated its demand.

“When the company replied, refusing to concede the demand, it was notified that union members would not work to publish the paper on Saturday, February 1. “If anyone thinks that this is a reasonable request, reasonably put forward, then of course he will see a parallel

between my statement in Rotorua and the circumstances of this case.

“But others may, I believe, take the view that a demand for an increase of 23 per cent, after four years silence followed within two days by an immediate threat of stoppage if the demand is not met in full, can scarcely be covered by the term ‘reasonable,’ ” said Mr Shand.

The pamphlet giving the union side of the dispute was circulated in Wellington today. Members of the union—who have been picketing the “Dominion” building since 50 printers were dismissed on Friday—handed out copies of it to passers-by.

The pamphlet said that the dispute had been brought about through the resistance by the company management against recognising that the union wanted the “Sunday Times" pay-rate brought back into line on an overtime basis. Over a period of four years, printers employed by the company had had their [pay rates eroded by as much las $4.60 a week, it said. I “It is not true that we want ■a 23 per cent wage increase, as the management would have everyone believe. What we are actually seeking is less than 6 per cent of our weekly wage.” The pamphlet said: “We printers have made no requests for wage increases on the ‘Sunday Times’ since its inception almost four years ago. The Wellington Publishing Company is, according to their management, determined to reduce the rates of pay for workers engaged on the production of the ‘Sunday Times’.” Company’s View The printers had given no explanation for their refusal to accept the company's offer of independent arbitration, said the managing director of the Wellington Publishing Company (Mr J. A. Burnet) replying to the pamphlet's statement that the printers had “leaned over backward” to settle the dispute peacefully, and that the only response had been dismissal. “Time and time again we have offered independent arbitration,” Mr Burnet said. The dispute, no doubt, could have been settled peacefully if the company had granted all the demands. It should be remembered that the dispute arose over week-day work for the “Sunday Times,” said Mr Burnet. It was during the week, and not on the Saturday, that the printers refused to do any more work on last week-end’s “Sunday Times.”

The circular was correct in claiming that the “Sunday Times” in the beginning was a “bit shaky.” In the first year, the company suffered a loss of $104,000. Far from promising increased payments later, it was already saddled with high wage costs—which were a main factor in the hurdle the paper had to surmount.

Mr Burnet said it was not correct, as claimed, that rates of pay for “Sunday Times” printing work had not been increased for almost four years. A high percentage of production work on the “Sunday Times” was done during the week—Monday to Friday—and the men engaged on this work were employed at rates which were quite separate from the agreement for Saturday work and w’ere substantially above award rates. All award increases had been passed on to these rates during the last four years.

Journalists May Give Help (N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, February 3. Some 300 members of the Wellington Journalists’ Union will be circularised to invite subscriptions to a special fund to assist members of the Wellington Printing Trades Union dismissed from their work on the “Dominion ' Sunday Times.” The dismissal of about 50 printers at 3 p.m. on Friday came after their refusal to continue the production of the newspaper without an increase in the rate for Saturday work. The Journalists’ Union executive today agreed that any subscription to the fund would be purely voluntary.