Drivers in Canterbury prepared to strike

Press, 14 June 1978, Page 1

Drivers in Canterbury prepared to strike

Branches of the Canterbury Drivers’ Union are prepared to strike for more than a week because of the breakdown of their award talks in Wellington yesterday. The secretary of the Canterbury Drivers’ Union (Mr P. R. Liggett), who attended the conciliation talks yesterday and on Monday, said that meetings were still being held in the South Island to test driver support for a 48-hour strike. Final results would be known tomorrow. However, branches outside the Christchurch area were prepared to stop for a

week as well, Mr Liggett said. Drivers of petrol tankers and private-company bus drivers are members of the Drivers’ Union. Mr Liggett said it ,would be reasonable to expect that supplies of petrol to motorists would be affected. The Drivers’ Federation planned to “involve” the Federation of Labour, Mr Liggett said, and if the two agreed that further action was necessary, the “boom will be dropped when it suits us, not the employers.” Mr Liggett said that the Drivers’ Federation had the

understanding of the conciliator that the 48-hour stoppage by Gisborne drivers would not prejudice the award talks. “The stoppage had been arranged for June 13 and 14,” Mr Liggett said. “We were amazed to be told that the employers could not talk to us because of the Gisborne stoppage and had no further offer to make. “This is a complete breach of integrity by the employers,” Mr Liggett said. “The employers have no-one else to blame but the people they put into conciliation at Wellington.”