Sunnyside threat of direct action

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33063, 2 November 1972, Page 16

Sunnyside threat of direct action

Blacklisting and direct action were threatened by about 100 members of the trades and related staff at a meeting at Sunnyside Hospital yesterday.

The chairma nof the Canterbury section of the Public Service Association (Mr J. O. Trevor) said last evening that the confrontation between the employees and the North Canterbury Hospital Board had been precipitated by the board’s "lack of proper and adequate consultation” since the take-over of psychiatric

and psychopaedic hospitals by the board last April. "The mounting concern has developed to such a stage that unless the board adopts a more realistic approach in its handling of this situation and discontinues the eroding of long-standing public service working conditions, it will become impossible to prevent some form of direct action,” said Mr Trevor. “Particular areas of deterioration arise from the application of award conditions in spite of previous agreement between the Federation of Labour and the Public Service Association to apply

P.S.A. conditions at least until such time as a decision by the Supreme Court became known.

“Staff at the hospitals find difficulty understanding the board’s reluctance to enter meaningful discussion and negotiation prior to instituting lower standards of working conditions. To many members of long service this move is incomprehensible,” said Mr Trevor.

The meeting of more than 100 members of the trades and related groups held at Sunnyside Hospital yesterday passed the following resolutions unanimously: “That this sub-group will blacklist all vacancies as from November 1 unless these are filled on the conditions prevailing prior to the date of the hospital takeover By the board (April 1); that this meeting instruct the secre-tary-organiser to report the names of employees receiving lower rates of pay to the secretary of the North Canterbury Hospital Board and instruct them that, unless the salary loss is reimbursed immediately, direct action will be taken by the trades and related staff; unless the board reinstates all public service conditions pertaining to all staff employed before or after April 1 we request the national executive of the P.S.A. to meet and issue a directive on this matter and to direct what action be taken.”

The meeting also decided to “give notice that unless telephone operators are given the same conditions of employment as other office staff, direct action will be taken.”