Company backs wage appeal

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32776, 29 November 1971, Page 3

Company backs wage appeal

(New Zealand Press Association)

ROTORUA, November 28. An appeal to the Remuneration Authority by pulp and paper workers unions would be backed “to the hilt” by N.Z. Forest Products, Ltd.

This was indicated by the managing director of the company (Sir Reginald Smythe) in Auckland.

He said in an interview that the company had agreed on a 9| per cent wage increase with the unions. The authority had granted 8 per cent.

“We are the meat in the sandwich,” he said. “The company and the men are all losing money because the unions feel it is the only means they have to express dissatisfaction.” He Said the 24-hour stop-' page already held by the unions had “probably cost the company more than the 1 j per cent the Remuneration Authority was trying to save us. We didn’t appreciate that stoppage, and I like the idea of a 48-hour stoppage even less.

“Full support would be given to putting the case before the authority again,” said Sir Reginald Smythe, who was confident that in such an event, the 1| per cent would be granted. “The authority does not have to give reasons for its decisions, so all that can be done is to put the case again,” he said.

The Remuneration Authority’s decision was no fault of the company. “But the men are taking it out on us and themselves.

“The whole thing is stupid,” he said. The company had never had approaches to put pressure on the authority. Sir Reginald Smythe said he could not see the situation deteriorating to the extent of the 1966 stoppage when the company’s mills closed for 18 days. “I’m hopeful that something will break on Monday afternoon, and that a decision will be made to place an appeal before the authority.”