Shop workers prepare for new round in hours battle

Press, 14 June 1978, Page 3

Shop workers prepare for new round in hours battle

PA Wellington Shop workers are prepar- j, jing for a new round in the trading hours battle —and i the centre of their ire is the: : Wool worths supermarket chain. ) 'Wellington shop employees j union delegates from the i (central city, Hutt Valley, and. Porirua started meeting!' \ yesterday as a result of sub-j; i missions by Woolworths last l (week to the Shop Trading; (Hours Commission. The Union’s secretary (Mr (G. Kelly) said yesterday that;. 'Woolworths had applied to the commission, sitting in Auckland, for a release from selling restrictions on all

food and meat items, and for permission to open nationally all day Saturday. This was confirmed by the : company’s ma r ke* : -'g manager (Mr R. Parsons). Mr Kelly su... .hat the (union was concerned about .the extent of the applications to the Auckland sitting for releases of items from the | exempted and restricted (goods list. He said the commission (would take more submissions in Wellington next. ) week and in Dunedin in July before making its recommendations to the Minister of Labour (Mr Gordon). "We now have a new

battle on our hands on the whole question of shopping,”' said Mr Kelly. “What is hap- ■ pening is levelling a new threat at shop employees’ working conditions, and is as) serious as the situation last! J year when the Government; i| passed the Shop Trading' ■ Hours Act.” The greatest concerns to I the union were the applications by Woolworths to lift) i restrictions on the sale of; ■ food items and meat, and for' permission to open all day i Saturday, or, alternatively,' ■. Saturday morning. ■ However, Mr Parsons said ■ that Woolworths had repeated to the commission in already-expressed policy that!

food should be available at all times. “Whether the company would open on Saturdays is a matter for decision Jn the 'future,” he said. “The Shop Trading Hours Act gave us the automatic right to open, but recent award agreements have limited that right.” Meanwhile, yesterday’s meetings by union delegates are expected to decide on action to combat any extension to trading hours. Mr Kelly said he could not indicate -the type of action likely. But it is expected that stop-work meetings of members will first be called by . the union.