Shearers’ talks adjourned

Press, 20 October 1976, Page 3

Shearers’ talks adjourned

PA Wellington Conciliation talks on the shearers" and shed hands’ award were again adjourned yesterday indefinitely in spite of an improved offer from the employers. In a joint statement afterwards, the president of the Sheepowners’ Union (Mr M. Loughnan) and the president of the Shearing Contractors’ Association (Mr A. Dekoney) said that the employers’ representatives had agreed to discuss with their members the possibility of a joint union-employers approach to the Minister of Labour to ask him to set up a committee of inquiry into all aspects of the industry. “The union seeks a 48 per cent increase in rates,” they said. “The employers offered to make a joint approach to the Industrial Commission for a 4 per cent increase, based on exceptional circumstances.

"In addition, the employers offered a 16.67 per cent increase in the travelling allowance, a 6 per cent increase in the handpiece allowance, and beneficial amendments to several other award clauses. “The offers we made, in conjunction with cost-of-living allowances, would have increased shearers’ average weekly earnings by about $2l over the rates applying a year, ago.”