TV stop-work on Monday

Press, 12 November 1977, Page 6

TV stop-work on Monday

Television production staff in Christchurch will attend a stop-work meeting on Monday between 10 a.m. and midday as part of national industrial action over pay claims. Stop-work meetings will be held in Auckland, Avalon, and Dunedin, as well as in Christchurch. The employees involved are production secretaries, technical producers, programme operators, and film operators. The chairman of the broadcasting sub-group of the Public Service Association (Mr Russell Garbutt) said yesterday that the stop-work meeting had been called at a time that was least likely to inconvenience the public and the television stations. Negotiations over salary claims for the four groups of, staff concerned had been continuing for some time—in the cast of one group for nearly a year—and no real satisfaction had been reached, he said. The last meeting with the employers to discuss the pay claims had been held on Wednesday. Mr Garbutt said that the meeting was being held so that the staff concerned! could be informed of the; situation.

Mr J. F. Turner, the president of the Public Service Association, said yesterday that there had been interminable delays in finalising the pay claims and “totally unrealistic offers” had been made for all four occupations. It is not expected that the proposed action will affect television transmission to any noticeable extent, according to the Press Association. While the time chosen for the stop-work is to avoid any inconvenience to the public, it is intended to register a strong protest with the employer. Since the passing of the Broadcasting Act in 1976, employees in public broadcasting have been brought under the provisions of the States Services Remuneration and Conditions of Employment Act, 1969. This has meant long delays in negotiations and getting offers on claims, which have first to be referred to the State Services! Co-ordinating Committee. “The Broadcasting Act has effectively emasculated the industrial arm of broadcasting and unless procedures are improved there could well be further stoppages of this kind.” said Mr Turner.