Strike by 7000 ends

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32778, 1 December 1971, Page 1

Strike by 7000 ends

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, Nov. 30. . Pulp-and-paper workers will return to work tomorrow after assurances

by the Remueration Authority that it will rehear recent wageincrease agreements.

This was decided today after talks between the Federation of Labour and the Remuneration Authority, and a two-day strike by 7000 pulp-and-paper workers. Today, the Federation of Labour called for a return to work, after it was given assurances of a rehearing, which has been set down for December 6.

Pulp-and-paper workers will be fully informed of today’s negotiations at on-the-job meetings tomorrow. Workers held the two stoppages in protest against 1.5 per cent cuts made by the Remuneration Authority to agreed 9.5 per cent wage increases.

The guarantee of a rehearing was made after parties involved submitted a letter asking for this. Representatives of the 15 unions involved decided today to hand the dispute over to the Federation of Labour. Earlier, a meeting was held in Rotorua between unions and mill representatives.

N.Z. Forest Products, Ltd, and the Tasman Pulp and Paper Company, Ltd, the two firms involved in the dispute, have supported the stand by the unions on the pay cuts. The managing-director of N.Z. Forest Products Ltd (Sir Reginald Smythe) confirmed

today that the companies were willing to submit further evidence to the Remuneration Authority when normal work resumed. He suggested that the parties accept the Authority’s decision after the rehearing.

This morning, union officials attended stop-work meetings at Kinleith, Kawerau, Penrose, Whakatane and Mataura to keep workers informed of the latest developments.