Dismissal notices bring confusion to factories

Press, 23 October 1976, Page 6

Dismissal notices bring confusion to factories

Confusion reigned in Christchurch rubber factories yesterday.

About 800 rubber 1 workers hud been given notices telling them that I they either had to assure i their employers that they would not go on to] a four-day week from; Tuesday, or face dismissal.

Most workers reacted by, refusing to return the notices,! and most employers were prepared to wait until the outcome of the crucial stopwork meeting on Tuesday before carrying out their threat of dismissal.

The director of the Canterbury Employers’ Association (Mr N. M. West) said last evening that there was no suggestion that notices issued to the workers had been withdrawn, but the employers realised that the workers* decision would be made at their meeting on Tuesday, and notices were issued ’ yesterday making it clear what the employers had offered—-a 5.2 per cent increase in wages.

The secretary of the. Can-' terbury Rubber Workers i Union’(Mr Leon Morel) said last evening that there was; confusion in the factories I yesterday. Some employers had ex-: tended the deadline for dis-1 missal until Tuesday, one of the smaller companies had! withdrawn its notices, and at/

one company the 30 woricers staged a sit-in until those whose services were terminated were paid off. The companies had al) reacted differently, he said. He denied an earlier allegation by Mr West that “an Sinner circle” of the union had kept the employers’ latest .offer to itself instead of revealing it to the members. “We never conceal anything from our members.” Mr Morel said. The offer of 5.2 per cent had only been confirmed yesterday, he said. When originally out on Monjday, it was in the form of a (-.uggestion only. i The meeting on Tuesday i would be held at the Repertory Theatre at 9 a.m. The workers would have to decide whether to accept the employers’ offer of 5.2 per cent.

I At the Christchurch Technical Institute yesterday, 'three clerical workers were ■ dismissed for failing to belong to the Clerical Workers’ ! Union. They were dismissed iby the institute with two ' weeks salary in lieu of notice

! ift er other staff walked out ’I in protest against the conI tinued employment of the (Ithree when not members of ;|a union. The three were informed . by the union that they had .i until September 29 either to f | join the union or lose their I; jobs. A week ago the Technical

Institute council, conscious that it could be fined for employing non-union labour, instructed the institute director (Mr J. Hercus) that the three had to comply with the union instruction or be given notice.

One of the three, Mrs K. Horgan, said yesterday that she objected to belonging to the Clerical Workers’ Union because she was already a member of the Technical Institute Ancillary Staff Association.

However, the association’s secretary (Mr J. McLean) said that the association was not registered as a union and he had told the three that they had to belong to the clerical workers’ union. The Christchurch branch of the association was formed in 1967, and now had a membership of 25. The association was trying to become registered as a union, but for eight years had been trying without success to get conditions promulgated by the Department of Education, a prerequisite for registration. The secretary of the Canterbury Clerical Workers’ Union (Mr E. Blacker) said that clerical staff at the institute were clearly under the collective agreement negotiated bv the union. Other staff at the institute had tolerated the continued employment of the three non-

union workers for a long time before finally taking direct action. There had been no pressure from the union to provoke the union members at the institute into taking action, he said. Attempts to solve two industrial disputes at New Zealand ports — one involving harbour pilots and the other tug masters and mates —failed yesterday. As a result, the week-old ban by tug masters and mates on working between midnight and 8 a.m. continues.

Harbour pilots still plan not to handle ships making maiden visits to New Zealand ports from midnight next Friday, if demands regarding the renegotiation of their award are not met. They have also said they will not work hew port facilities after that date.

The tug crews’ dispute arose over the demand for a guaranteed eight-hour break every 24 hours. At present, they are on call 24 hours of the day. The ban means that ships arriving between midnight and 8 a.m. must wait in the stream until the men begin work each morning. The harbour pilots’ ban on ships making their first visit to a New Zealand port could have serious consequences for oil imports and add to congestion at already congested North Island ports.