Rubber strikers call for inquiry

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33611, 13 August 1974, Page 1

Rubber strikers call for inquiry

The Canterbury' Rubber Workers’ Union drastically altered the progress of the strike against Firestone yesterday when they formally asked the Minister of Labour to appoint a committee of inquiry into the dispute.

A request for the inquiry was made in a letter to Mr Watt handed to the Labour Department in Christchurch yesterday afternoon by the secretary of the union (Mr L. G. Morel).

“The union’s whole efforts have been to’ get a return to the status quo and discussions started. But the company has been intransigent,” said Mr Morel. “We want the inquiry to examine ail aspects of the dispute in order to establish an equitable basis for negotiations.” Bonus The strike, which began three weeks ago today, was caused, the union says, by the company’s failure to hold discussions, provided

for in the factory agreement, before changing the number of men -in the tyre-curing room, a process at the end of the production line. The strikers said that putting an extra man in the curing room would lessen their bonus payments, which amount to about half their pay. The union has held throughout the stoppage that it wants only a return to the status quo and a pledge to hold discussions for the workers to go back to their jobs. More factors Firestone said, in one of two press releases which have been its only comment during the dispute, that discussions had been held as provided. The company also said that their figures showed that bonuses would not be affected.

However, the dispute was shown to be more complex than that, when early in the strike the workers called for a full inquiry by the union and management into all the conditions of work and pay in the curing room.

Talks stall For this reason, the union does not want a compulsory conference (which a Minister of Labour may order instead of, or in addition to, an inquiry). “A compulsory conference would solve only part of the problem,” said Mr Morel. “It doesn’t solve the other issues everybody knows are there.” A mediator from Auckland intervened, and persuaded the parties to meet last Thursday for the first time since the strike began. No agreement was reached at the meeting, and an exchange of proposals between the union and Firestone on Friday did no better. No dissent A meeting of the workers on Saturday voted on voices, without dissent, to continue the strike. (The secret ballot to strike originally was carried by more than eight to one, and another ballot on whether there should be a return to work was defeated by 207 votes to 9). Most of the striking workers have no direct financial stake in this dispute—there are seven workers on each of three shifts. The loss to those whose bonuses might

drop is, by the union’s figures, less than $l5 a week. The men average more than $l2O a week. Mr Morel has charged that the company must have some reason, other than those arising from the issues, for its stubbornness. Firestone has denied any ulterior motives. The company made a net profit last year of $947,546, 18.5 per cent less that, the year before, a disappointing result caused, said the chairman (Mr C. W. Campbell), by escalating wages, large increases in raw material and distribution costs, "plus the very costly effects of disruptive industrial action.” Under section 121 of the Industrial Relations Act, the Minister of Labour may appoint a committee of inquiry with power to inquire into the matter of the dispute generally, or into such aspects as he specifies. It may be one man, or an equal number of employees’ and employers’ representatives with a chairman. Section 120 provides that the Minister may call a compulsory conference of the parties whose chairman may have power to make a decision to settle the dispute.