The Press MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1975. The firemen’s strike

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33740, 13 January 1975, Page 12

The Press MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1975. The firemen’s strike

The brevity of the strike by Christchurch firemen did nothing to'diminish the significance of their decision to stop work. Although the stoppage lent a dramatic, and even fearful, emphasis to the vigour with which the men have been pressing their claims, the outcome of the strike is not notably different from the position that was in sight before the stoppage. A prolonged strike might have seriously upset the prospects of reasonable negotiation; it would certainly not have improved them, and all concerned should be able to approach talks today with the hope that patience will prevail.

The unprecedented strike contains several features that give cause for reflection. Only very rarely have people in this country withdrawn their labour from what everyone regards as an essential task. The nature of such services almost certainly means that a public authority — not private enterprise — is the employer and that the employees are people who, by training or by personal inclination, are especially dedicated to their work. Such people are not lightly moved by their own feelings or by their union leadership to stop work. Their employers, the public, do not suffer loss of profits or, in some instances, any loss of production in the ordinary sense of the word. But the loss of service may be v ery damaging, and may even cause human suffering. Reservations against strikes are held by most people; and the fact that stoppages are all too common in some industries should not obscure the general attitudes of employers and employees. Nor, however, should the greater reluctance among people in essential services to stop work be exploited unfairly. By the same token, recognition by public employers of this reluctance should not be taken by the unions as a lever to obtain greater benefits than other workers would enjoy. Acceptance by both sides of these principles makes the need for patient and tolerant negotiation all the greater. Intervention by the Federation of Labour was an important element in ending the firemen’s strike, and the Government, the public, the fire board and the union must be grateful for this intervention. The Government, clearly wanting to act firmly and obviously conscious that its approach to industrial disputes is being watched throughout the country, needs some alliance with the F.O.L. Having come to terms with the federation on the general level of wages, it could not allow a particular dispute to upset perhaps the whole structure of wages as well as a vital public service. A cordial solution to the dispute is important to more than the Christchurch firemen and to the people who rely on their services. The fact that the armed services supplied an efficient substitute in an emergency is reason for relief and gratitude; but it is not cause for satisfaction.