advice’on unions

Press, 20 November 1978, Page 2

advice’on unions

PA Wellington The Employers’ Federation has advised employers not! Ito volunteer advice to their , clerical workers on union membership. Even the most innocent of remarks could be interpreted as trying to influence their decision, said the federation’s executive director (Mr J. W. Rowe). A circular which the federation’s regional divisions are sending to members, says that the Industrial Re-! lations Act makes it an offence for an employer, other than by observing an unqua-lified-preference clause in an award, to exert undue influence on an employee to

11 be or cease to be a member of a union or to make the ' issue of membership a con- : dition of employment. “To avoid any charge of 1 discrimination or undue influence on employees, employers should refrain ' from offering any guidance ' to clerical workers as to ! whether or not they should resign from the Clerical Workers’ Union,” says the circular. “Inquiries by clerical ’ workers as to their rights to : resign should be redirected to the Labour Department or ' the union. “Where a worker’ resigns from the union an employer should not insist on union

| membership as a condition (of employment or make (automatic deduction of union dues from the worker’s wages in the absence of the worker’s consent.” The circular also says that the two Orders-in-Council ; gazetted on November 7 which make union membership voluntary affect only two awards: the New Zealand Clerical Workers' Award and the New Zealand Licensed Hotel Clerical : Workers’ Award. Mr Rowe said the unquali-fied-preference clause requiring clerical workers to join the union remained in other awards which covered clerical workers.