Strike at Ford plant

Press, 18 February 1978, Page 3

Strike at Ford plant

PA Wellington A dispute over the legality of a sacking at the Ford Motor Company remains unresolved after coachworkers walked out on strike at the Hutt Valley plant yesterday. A senior union delegate, Mr D. Franks, was sacked on Tuesday when he refused to train a new worker. The union claims the question of who should train new staff has been the subject of a long-term dispute. The union secretary, Mr G. Clarke, said his union had approached the company about the matter of training last year and had called in a

mediator to settle the matter, but no meeting had so far taken place. The company had acted illegally when it sacked Mr Franks, he said. The Industrial Relations Act made it clear that neither party was to take direct action over a continuing dispute. “The men at the plant were pretty incensed about the company’s illegal action,” he said. “When it became clear that Ford would not reconsider, they were strongly in favour of striking.” However, a spokesman for the company said the issue of training had not previously been under dispute. Mr Franks should take ac-

tion on a personal grievance claim if he believed hisi sacking was not justified, he: said. Meanwhile the union i appears to have won a vic-' tory in an earlier dispute about overtime. Ford recently asked coachworkers to work one night’s overtime a week, but the union refused, urging the company to hire extra staff instead — and this week Ford advertised for 30 or 40 more production staff. Mr Clarke said the union’s refusal to work overtime had yielded new jobs for others. “We feel everyone should have 40 hours of work before people start doing overtime,’’ he said.