Rail Unions End Rolling Strike

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32331, 24 June 1970, Page 18

Rail Unions End Rolling Strike

<Nru> Zealand Prtat Xooclutian) WELLINGTON, June 23. The Otahuhu branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants had now complied with the requirement of its national council and resumed normal work, the general secretary of the A.S.R.S. (Mr N. A. Collins) said tonight. The suspension of the branch had been lifted.

The branch says it has stopped its strike because the' A.S.R.S. has lodged a claim for an increase in the wage rate of labourers, and pre sumably this was considered to meet the demands of the branch. Mr Collins said "It must be pointed out that the national council of the A S R.S. made the decision to make this claim before the Otahuhu branch decided to take strike action, and the branch was fully aware then that the wage claim was to be made." he said. The rolling strike by members of the Railway Trades-] men's Association at the Ota huhu railway workshops also ended this afternoon.

A ban on movements at Addington. at repair depots and at the Linwood locomotive depot would have been imposed if railway workers at the Addington or Otahuhu railway workshops had been laid off in line with Monday’s statement by the Minister of Railways (Mr Gordon), the Canterbury secretary of the

Amalgamated Society of Rail way Servants (Mr J. F. E. Me Dowell) said yesterday. !' Mr McDowell said his ] branch had kepi out of the; dispute but had resolved that; it would become involved if the Railways Department suspended or took punitive action against members in ; the two workshops. The pro- ' posed ban would have halted nearly all railway services io Canterbury, he said.