Union row after firemen’s strike

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33740, 13 January 1975, Page 1

Union row after firemen’s strike

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, January 12.

Auckland and North Shore firemen who held a rank-and-file meeting today were condemned as “saboteurs” by their union secretary, Mr A. W. Monk.

The meeting, in Myers Park, was attended by about 60 men. It was called by a provisional three-man “rank-and-file” committee, after a previously arranged meeting was called off by Mr Monk.

A member of the provisional committee, Divisional Officer J- N. Gladwin, of the North Shore Fire Brigade, said the men wanted to put < control of the union back in its members hands. i

Mr Monk was “dictating” to the men. “Any union that can have a meeting called off by one man must have something wrong with it,” said Mr Gladwin.

The original meeting had been requested by petition in the proper manner and in cancelling it Mr Monk had been acting “on his own authority above the heads of his own executive and the heads of the members.” Mr Gladwin said: “The members of the union no longer know what direction it is going in. Members even had trouble getting hold of union rule books.”

The meeting today called for a 12-man rank-and-file committee to be set up to work alongside the union executive. It also sought a five-man investigative committee

elected to look into union rules and their amendments, and into the correspondence and minutes of previous meetings.

The recommendations were passed by a “substantial” majority and will be put up for discussion to the next union general meeting, planned for Friday. But Mr Monk is incensed by the men’s action. “They are just a bunch of saboteurs masquerading under the role of conscientious unionists looking for information. “This union would be the most well informed anywhere in the country.” The action of therank-and-file meeting was entirely selfish, and no power had been removed from union members, said Mr Monk. This situation had arisen because of the firemen’s strike in Christchurch, he said. The strikers had continu-| ally been in touch with 1 Auckland for support, and ! their friends had responded by "agitating in every direction they could find.”

He still maintained, however, that the Christchurch strike was totally unnecessary. “Everything they do achieve now could have been achieved without strike action.”

Referring to the meeting, Mr Monk asked: “Is the execut i’/e going to be allowed to get on with its job or will it be upset by a minority who support Christchurch?’’