D.I.C. redundancies to be revealed this week

Press, 14 June 1978, Page 6

D.I.C. redundancies to be revealed this week

D J.C. store staff in b Christchurch will be toldyi this week who among them ii will be made redundant. J It is not known howt many will be given notice. but the figure will probably E be less than the original 100,(1 because staff have been leav-s ing to find other jobs since c the news of the closing of v the D.I.C. store was mades public in February. t Mrs M. Hilston, assistant t secretary of the Canterbury Shop Assistants’ Union, saida yesterday that those who v would be made redundant c would be given six weeks n notice, and if thev left in w that time they would not for- f< feit their severance pay en-y titlements. ti Some of the staff will be a employed at Beath’s, which o was bought by the Dunedin-tl

based D.I.C. more than a /ear ago. The old D.I.C. storec in Christchurch will close on' July 28, after 85 years of trading. Mrs Hilston said that the D.I.C. company secretary Mr W. R. Dunbar) would submit the list of redundancies to the union, which would then make submissions on any changes thought desirable. After that, the staff would be told. The terms of the severance agreement are that those who have worked for the company for six to 12 months will receive three weeks pay; one to two years, four weeks pay; two to three i years, five weeks pay; three to four years, six week pay, and so on until a maximum of 22 weeks pay is given to J hose with long service. r\

In addition, there is a clause in the agreement which provides for longf service leave pay. Those who have not taken the leave and shave served 13 years will get i two weeks pay; those with 23 years service, three ■ weeks pay; and those with i 28 years service, five weeks ■ pay. 5 Mrs Hilston said that .workers given notice of redundancy should give a ; week’s notice if they intended to leave within the jsix-week period. She described the agree- : ment as a good one for staff. It had been negotiated by i representatives of several : unions under the umbrella of , the Canterbury Trades ; Council, and the company, helped by Canterbury Employers’ Association staff.