Minister replies on airport visit

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 38188, 30 March 1973, Page 10

Minister replies on airport visit

, (From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON. March 29. “The Public Service I Association will wait a long time before I ask ’ their permission to visit any group of State seri rants,” said the Minister ' of State Services (Mr Tizard) today. ’ Mr Tizard was commenting on a statement by the ■ Christchurch P.S.A. secretary 3 (Mr J. McKenzie) alleging 1 that he had made a “sneak ■ visit” to airport crash-fire sta- ? tions vesterday. Mr Tizard said that his • visit was to see what kind of work crash-firemen did * under norma! conditions. This would not have been possible if the firemen had known he was coming He did not want ■ a conducted tour stage- •' managed by the P.S.A. or any r one else.

I The only resentment about I his visits had come from the (P.S.A., which had overreacted to what was just a e straightforward fact-finding (trip. Mr Tizard said he was well < | received by all the crash-fire-tjmen he met. He had asked .. |many questions and had received satisfactory answers. He believed that the firemen l' were gratified that someone; was interested enough to; come and have a look at t-ltheir problems. e| Mr Tizard said that his sole yj reason for visiting Christg; church was to have a look at k facilities, which he was told, i-i were the worst in New Zea- | land. ( S | While at Christchurch, Mr j Tizard was unable to speak □ to crash-firemen because the , s P.S.A. had arranged a stope I work meeting which cop incided with his visit. it j-1 The chairman of the Can-; y terbury section of the P.S.A. I |(Mr J. A. Trevor) said this 1

: evening that Mr Tizard was : not correct when he suggested that his visits created rei sentment only in Christ- ; church. “It was because of their resentment at being visited and interrogated by the State i Services Commissioner (Mr R. McKenzie) that the northern airport staff notified the i Christchurch crash fire staff •of the impending visit.” said i|Mr Trevor. “Mr Tizard . . . now states that he inspected crash fire ■ facilities. If this was the case, not only was he discourteous : to employees, but he has , shown serious discourtesy to • the Minister of Civil Aviation (Dr Finlay) who is respons- ■ ible for crash fire facilities at : all airports.” said Mr Trevor “AMAZING” Mr Trevor said he found “most amazing” Mr Tizard’s •statement that he did not .want a conducted tour stage■imanaged by the P.S.A. or .1 any one else. “What really upset the

. crash fire staff was not the ■ mere fact that Mr Tizard had arrived, but that he was accompanied by the employer negotiators, namely Mr Mc- • Kenzie, the State Services I Commission inspector (Mr H. : I Swallow) and the main negotiator for the Ministry of •Transport (Mr L. Williams). J said Mr Trevor. : “A week ago Mr Tizard lltold the public that the ‘State ! Services Commission, had ;i carried out an intensive in■’vestigation into crash fire , staff conditions’ and had. in ; fact, been to all airports ; visited on Wednesday, plus i other airports. i “How does Mr Tizard reconcile his statement of a week ago with that made yesterday by him?” The Minister had placed I himself in the position of sid- ; ing completely with the employing authorities, and could no longer claim to have an ■ impartial attitude towards a certain section of State employees, said Mr Trevor.