Work stops at yarn factory

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32461, 23 November 1970, Page 2

Work stops at yarn factory

t Production ceased at the Aranui ; factory of Dominion Yams and Fab* - rics, Ltd, at 9.45 p.m. on Saturday r after a dispute between the manage* i ment and a shift over extra work , required of one man on the shift.

3 Employees of the coms pany affected by the i closing, members of the ! Canterbury Woollen j Workers’ Union, will disl cuss the situation at a ; meeting today in the ; Aranui Hall. ! Four shifts, involving about 90 employees, are involved. The management’s view of the dispute is that the shift walked off when a man was suspended. The union maintains that the management closed the factory and sent the men home when one man refused to do extra work. Mr F. H. Baird, speaking last night on behalf of the management, said the union agreed a week ago that the men should resume normal duties so talite could resume ' on drawing up an interim 1 industrial agreement. The ' talks had been proceeding satisfactorily until Saturday. "On Saturday, acting under , union instructions, certain : men refused to do normal duties and they were suspended. The rest walked off, presumably in support of the suspended men,” Mr Baird said. “The company had no , alternative but to close dawn and withdraw any offers on an interim agreement pending a national agreement with ail yam texturers throughout New Zealand.” The union secretary (Mr L.

. T. McGinn) said last night , that a man on the shift had ' decided not to do extra work - which he had been doing i without extra payment for . about five months. He had , been told that he would be ‘ made a leading hand and re- ■ ceive extra- payment, but this had not come about “On Saturday night this ! man asked the union repre- ■ sentative if he had to do this extra work and he was told ' it was up to him whether he t wanted to do it or not. The ’ management asked the union ■ to direct him to do the work ‘ and the union still main- £ tained that it was up to the 1 man to decide for himself.” The branch secretary for ; the union (Mr G. M. Mc- : Ewan) said the management i seemed to think the union s had imposed a ban, but this I was not so. ! He said there was no local i agreement to cover workers s in the Aranui factory.

Fiji Students.—Fifty - four [ students from the University I of the South Pacific, Suva, . will begin leaving next week to work in New Zealand ! during the university holii days. Student bodies in New Zealand have organised work for them.—(P.AQ