Bus row coming to end

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33966, 6 October 1975, Page 16

Bus row coming to end

(N.Z. Press Association) INVERCARGILL,

October 5.

The Invercargill bus dispute, deadlocked for three weeks, is expected to end this week with the intervention of the Federation of Labour in support of a move for an earlier hearing on award claims by the bus drivers.

The surprise move came after the handing over of the dispute by the Southland Drivers’ Union to the Southland Trades Council at a special meeting in Invercargill on Friday. The secretary of the Southland Trades Council (Mr E. H. Soper), said tonight that he had talked on the telephone with the Minister of Labour (Mr Faulkner), and the president of the F.O.L. (Mr T. E. Skinner), after the meeting. The national secretary of the Tramway Workers’ Union (Mr G. D. Turner), was also informed, and all agreed the matter should be referred to a special meeting of the transport group of unions of the federation in Wellington on Wednesday morning. Mr Turner said he wanted to go on record as saying that previous statements he made about lack of union support for the strike were the result of a complete misunderstanding. “I frankly admit I had no idea of just what was being done behind the scenes by the Southland Drivers’ Union,” he said.

Mr Soper said that his union had held long consultations with legal advisers before handing the matter over to the Trades Council.