Union men told to attend meeting

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32425, 12 October 1970, Page 14

Union men told to attend meeting

(New Zealand Press Association)

NEW PLYMOUTH, October 11.

Members of the New Plymouth branch of the Engineers’ Union have been reminded by union officials that a stop-work meeting means stop work.

The men had decided that a stop-work meeting called for Tuesday was worth attendance by only a few representatives, while the rest continued to work. But they had been rapped over the knuckles.

The secretary (Mr E. J. Murray) said that the union would not stand for its members working during the stop-work meeting. The district secretary (Mr B. Landers) said the meeting would be asked to vote that members attending the meet-

ing would refuse to work with anyone who did work normally done by union members during the meeting. Mr Murray said he felt that the problem arose from a misunderstanding on the men’s part of the meaning of a stop-work meeting. The meeting was being held to inform members of progress made in negotiations before their break-down in Wellington, he said. A.S.R.S. CLAIM If the Government was prepared to negotiate pay claims there would be no disruption of rail services, the national secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Rail-

way Servants (Mr N. A. Collins) said tonight. “I am more concerned with a settlement than with stoppage threats,” Mr Collins said. Asked to comment about the Otahuhu branch’s threat to begin rolling stoppages on October 19 if the claims were not settled, Mr Collins said that was just one branch of 59. The claims are for increases from $1.03 to $1.25 an hour for labourers, and $1.36 to $1.50 an hour for tradesmen. Mr Collins said he expected talks with Cabinet representatives, including the Minister of Transport (Mr Gordon) to continue early this week. “Our case is so strong that I am confident we will get a just settlement,” he said.

SMELTER TALKS More than 700 striking workers from Tiwai Point are expected to meet at Invercargill tomorrow morning, to discuss the offer made to them during negotiations last week.

The workers have been on strike since Wednesday. A union spokesman, Mr D. Soper, said tonight that the men might plan a march, or some other demonstration,

after the meeting finished. He said he expected the men to reaffirm their stand at the meeting.