INSURANCE WORKERS

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32700, 1 September 1971, Page 16

INSURANCE WORKERS

Vote to take offer

A meeting attended by about 250 insurance office workers yesterday afternoon voted in favour of accepting an employers* offer of a 12} per cent increase in wages retrospective to July 1. 1 A stop-work was called by ' the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Insurance Guild i Industrial Union of Workers j to consider whether to accept , the employers’ offer or go to 'the Court of Arbitration.

Yesterday’s vote was taken on a show of hands. About 25 of those present voted against accepting the offer. The decision of Canterbury

and other districts will be considered by the national executive of the guild in Wellington tomorrow.

The Canterbury secretary of the guild and national vice-president (Mr K. M. Barnett) said the employers would not consider a higher figure, although the guild wanted increases of 17 per cent for men and 23 per cent for women.

He said the increase of 12} per cent would include the 4.8 per cent cost of living order recently granted but members would not be eligible for the cost of living order to be made in January. If the guild accepted the employers’ offer, the new award would last for one year from July 1, said Mr Barnett He thought employers might treat claims for increases more sympathetically when a new award was negotiated next year.