Sacked boilermakers stop work over severance pay

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34133, 21 April 1976, Page 16

Sacked boilermakers stop work over severance pay

Strikes disrupted work at two Christchurch factories yesterday as six boilermakers downed tools at an engineering plant and 30 engineers walked out at a tvre factory.

About 30 engineers at: the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of New Zealand, Ltd. stopped work at midday because of a dispute about the suspension of a worker last Thursday. And at the metalwork div-j ision of Fletcher Construe-r tion. Ltd, yesterday, six; boilermakers went on strike ' in protest at a redundancy;' settlement put to them on !l April 8. The six boilermakers who i

(walked out of the Fletcher plant had been given two weeks notice on April 8. The reasons for the dismissals land the closing of the shop [were given yesterday by a company spokesman in Auckland as being a falling off in (Orders and the low’ productivity of the shop. Neither party would comment on the reasons behind rihe workers’ suspension because they said it might prejudice the conciliation pro- [ ceedings. The spokesman said the men were given notice under

ithe terms of the collective agreement and offered either two weeks work or two weeks pay if they left immediately. The men have not been offered any severance pay. There did not appear to be any alternative work for the six men within the Fletcher group of companies, the company spokesman said. The Boilermakers’ Union. ; however, claims that the [company’ is in breach of the [award in the way the redundancy has been handled. [ The union’s secretary (Mr [K. A. Perkins) agrees that the correct notice was given the employees, and in some cases more than they were strictly entitled to but he said the company had not given sufficient notice that the ’■edundancies were imminent. Mr Perkins quoted a clause in the agreement which states that the employer shall advise the union of intended redundancy dismissals and shall give the union the opportunity of consultation. He said he heard about the dismissals the day after the notices were given to the men. The two weeks notice did not give time enough for proper consultation on the matter. Meetings had been called, but nothing useful had ; been achieved. The men voted to strike yesterday morning after Fletchers had refused to accept the union proposals for a settlement. Mr Perkins said the union wanted the dismissals delayed so that there would be more time to negotiate severance payments.

Severance payments are also causing concern for the 12 men who will lose their jobs when C.M.W. Industries Ltd, closes its Montreal Street factory on April 30. The Engineers’ Union secretary (Mr R. E. Todd), said the men were concerned that they would not receive any severance pay. He said yesterday that he was seeking discussions with the Minister of Electricity (Mr Holland), who owns the company.

Mr Holland had previously told him that they should be able to meet for talks next week, but intimated that the company would have little money for severance payments. The engineers at Firestone should return to work today because steps have been taken to resolve the dispute in the manner laid down in the Industrial Relations Act for a personal grievance. Their return to work will avert the threat of the whole factory’s closing — which would have been inevitable had the strike lasted several days. The secretary of the Canterbury branch' of the Engineers’ Union (Mr Todd) and the personnel manager at the factory (Mr G. P. Davies), issued a joint statement last evening announcing the return to work. The worker will remain suspended until his case is heard. Although overtime will not be worked in the meantime the workers should all be back at work this morning. The disnute will be settled under the provisions of the national award and a house agreement. The Department of Labour has been notified and the two parties hope to meet an industrial mediator later this week.