Storemen get wage rise

Press, 23 February 1978, Page 3

Storemen get wage rise

Industrial reporter About 2000 storemen, packers, and warehousemen in Canterbury and Westland will receive wage increases of between 7 and 11 per cent, backdated to January 16, under an agreement reached this week. The agreement, which was signed by employers and Canterbury Storemen and Packers’ Union assessors, is the first to be negotiated by the union since it dissaffiliated from the Federated Storemen and Packers’ Association of Workers last year. Mr P. E. Piesse was advocate for the union for the first time since being appointed secretary in June last year. He attended the Auckland union’s wage talks at the end of last year as an

observer; and the Canterbury agreement was a parallel document, he said. Mr Piesse said that the agreement would give the bulk of the members a wage rise of 11 per cent as well as increases in service payments. The settlement will also provide Mr Piesse and his union executive with ammunition to counter a group of petitioners who have attacked the way the executive raised union subscription fees last month. The petitioners demanded a special meeting to debate the. issue. Mr Piesse said that the meeting would be held on March 7. Members would be notified in a newsletter which would also give details of the wage agreement.