Bus-drivers to meet on dispute

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33815, 11 April 1975, Page 1

Bus-drivers to meet on dispute

Christchurch bus-drivers will decide on possible dispute action at a meeting on Sunday morning.

Because two contract bus cleaners are employed in Invercargill, , drivers there will stop work all today. [ They plan to put the buses

s.off the road every Friday for i: a month, before reconsidering the matter. ■ Wellington buses will be 3 1 off the road soon after 9 - a.m. today’ while drivers meet . to consider the Invercargill ' dispute. They will also discuss what they see as their 11 employer’s failure to intro''duce a maximum shift work period of 4? hours before a | break. Their union secretary (Mr G. D. Turner) said he could ' i give no guarantee that his members would return to :: work. Drivers in New Plymouth 'and Dunedin will meet over; [the next three days. Auck-' hand drivers have already, decided to support Invercargill drivers financially. The secretary of the' | Christchurch branch of the; Tramways Union (Mr K. A.j ' Chailender) said yesterday j that the meeting on Sundayi I would not upset any time- ■ ' tables. “There is no sign of any! [stoppages in Christchurch' , yet. We do not want to com- j jmit drivers to any action un-i ■ til they know’ what the' situation is in Invercargill.”' said Mr Chailender. The Invercargill drivers i ! insist that the city’s counci' | I employ no part-time contract cleaners. They want a full ! [time cleaner who would b< [ under their union and award The chairman of the conn [ icil’s trading committee (Mr J i A. Russell) said that the con : tract cleaners were not em ployees of the council an< . did not ■ come within thf j .terms of the unions award. *>