Strike action deferred

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33942, 8 September 1975, Page 14

Strike action deferred

(N.Z. Press Association) INVERCARGILL, Sept. 7. A decision made by the national executive of the Tramway Workers’ Union to defer strike action by Invercargill bus drivers, in the hope that a negotiated settlement of the Invercargill dispute might be reached this week, was confirmed by the Invercargill drivers bn Saturday. After an intervention on Friday by the Minister of Labour (Mr Faulkner), both the Invercargill City Council and the Tramway Workers’ Union agreed that a meeting take place before the bus drivers went on strike.

This meeting, to be chaired by an independent Labour Department official, will probably be held on September 11, in acceptance of a Tramways’ Union directive that such a meeting must be held “no later than Thursday.” The Invercargill dispute is about two women contract cleaners, Mesdames J. McLean and L. McDowell, who, the Industrial Court has ruled, are legally employed by the council. The union insists that the women’s work is traditionally performed by union labour, and calls for this to be reinstituted. Mr J. M. Craig, president of the Invercargill branch of the union, said after the 30minute meeting oh Saturday: “It was agreed unanimously that we defer strike action until Thursday, to see what the outcome of the meeting will be.” He had been informed that Auckland bus drivers would “give full support for whichever way we go.” Wellington, Dunedin, and New Plymouth had sent similar messages. Christchurch drivers met yesterday. The secretary of the Christchurch branch of the union (Mr K. A. Challender) said this evening that no statement would be made until th? national executive had been informed of the Christchurch decision. Mr Faulkner’s intervention broke a deadlock between the union and the Invercargill City Council. The council’s trading committee, chaired by Cr A. Pomeroy, had more than a week earlier declined to discuss proposals by the union unless it withdrew its ultimatum to strike from today. Now that the ultimatum has been withdrawn —temporarily at least —council spokesmen say they will be happy to meet the bus drivers.

Cr Pomeroy, who returned to Invercargill from a holiday in Queenstown only last evening, said he had not yet been contacted officially

about the latest develop- < ments, but was “very pleased i to find out that the drivers, < temporarily at least, have < called off their strike.” ; Mr Craig said last evening: i “I hope there will be a 1 settlement reached if the i

council goes to the meeting realising that the men are only protecting the rights of our award. After all, the job we do is our bread and butter, for our wives and families as well as ourselves.”