Drivers Stay Out; Many Garages Dry

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32322, 13 June 1970, Page 1

Drivers Stay Out; Many Garages Dry

The Minister of Labour (Mr Marshall) yesterday called on the Canterbury Drivers’ Union to instruct its petrol and oil tanker drivers to return to work immediately.

Last night the secretary of the union (Mr N. L. Dunnill) acknowledged that he had received a telegram from Mr Marshall. “We are not in the least worried,” he said. “We have our lawyer working on it.”

After a stopwork meeting yesterday morning of about 70 Christchurch tanker drivers, held to consider the national wage offer by the oil companies, the men decided on a Canterbury-wide strike until Tuesday morning, when they will meet to review the situation.

Many petrol stations, due for refilling yesterday for week-end traffic, are now out of petrol after panic buying by the public. If the strike continues until Tuesday, Christchurch taxis and some business vehicles and private motorists will be forced off the road.

The drivers’ union will make petrol available to the police, fire brigades, Ministry of Transport, ambulances and some organisations such as those providing transport for crippled and blind children. Mr Dunnill also said yesterday that the union would help poultry farmers who would lose stock if their oil-fired; heating ran dry. Employers’ Offer

The employers have offered weekly increases ranging from $7.01 for drivers of smaller tankers to $8.95 for drivers of articulated tankers weighing more th,an 13 tons.

In addition, they have offered another $1 on shift allowance, an extra $1 after 12 months service, and an extra $2 after two years service.

The drivers say that the offer is conditional upon all drivers accepting award rates only, which is correct. Mr Dunnill said yesterday that some Christchurch drivers, for long service or good service, were already being paid up to $9 a week above the award, and these men would lose money if the condition was accepted. However, the employers’ offer also includes a minimum “pass-on” rate of $3 a week, which means that no driver would receive a smaller increase than this. Furthermore, present above-award allowances are mostly not incorporated in overtime rates, whereas the new rates would be.

Most “pass-on” rates negotiated recently have been about $2.50 a week, although in one recent award for skilled tradesmen the top bracket was granted $4. National representatives of the oil companies and the tanker drivers met in conciliation in Wellington this week. At the drivers’ request,

the hearing was adjourned on Wednesday so that the employers’ offers could be referred to the rank and file. Before the adjournment the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr J. D. Gibb) warned both parties to the dispute that it was an offence under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act for either of them to take any action during the adjournment which might prejudice the issue, and he read out two parts of the act dealing with this. Under the act, it is perfectly in order for the drivers to decide to refuse the employers’ offer, but it is illegal for them to take any direct action before giving the employers the chance to make a further offer.

If, when the hearing resumes on July 7, the employers refuse to make any other offer, and negotiations break down, the drivers may take strike action. Until then, they may not. The Christchurch tanker drivers decided to strike yesterday after being addressed by Mr P. R. Liggett, the assessor who represented them in Wellington and was present when Mr Gibb’s warning was given. Panic Buying, Page 12