Men at Tiwai Point to get $l00 for six-day week

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32430, 17 October 1970, Page 18

Men at Tiwai Point to get $l00 for six-day week

(N.Z. Press Association) INVERCARGILL, October 16. Most union men on the Tiwai Point smelter project will get more than $lOO for an average sixday week under a new agreement reached today between union and management negotiators. The agreement allows for increases of between 19 and .21 per cent over what the workers were being paid at I the beginning of the month,! i before they went on strike. * Negotiations started on I October 5 and lasted two weeks. During this time, the !men went on strike for eight

days before returning to* work today. J A spokesman for the union! negotiators, Mr D. Soper, said this evening that this was definitely the top con-struction-site agreement in New Zealand. On an hourly rate, the increases are between 22c and 26c, with the majority of tradesmen making an added 25c compared with their previous hourly rates. The parties met at 11a.m. today. By 3.45 p.m. the union delegates were reporting back to the men on the site* .with the recommendation* that the new rates be’ adopted. Comment on agreement ' Commenting on the agree-* ment, Mr K. J. Gregson, industrial relations manager for

* the New Zealand Construction Company and the Kaiser (Engineering Corporation, said that the smelter project employed the largest number of skilled tradesmen of any one site in New Zealand. “While the settlement terms are higher than we originally forecast, the new agreement will maintain stability for the ensuing nine months,” said Mr Gregson, who led the management negotiating team. Mr Soper said that the ! present agreement will be back-dated to October 1, and would last for nine months. On hearing the proposal i rates at today’s meeting, the ! men overwhelmingly voted in * support of the proposals. Mr J. A. Boomer, secretary of the Otago-Southland branch of the New Zealand Engineers’ Union was one of the union negotiators, and recommended that the men acceot the offers. New rates The new rates per hour! !are: Electricians, $1.52, plus* 10c construction allowance; fitters, $1.45 plus 10c; carpenters, $1.43 plus 10c; vehicle operators, $1.31 plus 10c; and labourers, $1.20 plus 10c. On top of these rates will be 5c an hour for tool money, the equivalent of one hour’s pay for travelling money (for town workers), $2.40 a week.

“Walking money” for men living on the site, and meal money of 90c every time they are involved in overtime. All workers will also receive 16c an hour site allowance.

When these are added up. a top tradesman working on the site, but living in Invercargill will receive up to $2.04 an hour, plus meal money and overtime. Men can earn 1c an hour extra for “height money,” 6c an hour extra for a trades certificate, and 12c an hour extra for an advanced trades certificate.