Union buys own computer

Press, 20 July 1979, Page 1

Union buys own computer

The Canterbury Shop Employees’ Union is probably the first trade union in New Zealand to buy and use a computer to handle accounts, inquiries, and other union business. The system, costing about $7OOO, was installed this week and is still being programmed. It has a visual display terminal linked with a Christchurch computer bureau. Mr B. Alderdice, secretary of the union, said that with the computer the union could write a personalised notice, news-, sheet, or letter and copies would be automatically typed and addressed ready for staff to wrap and post to members. Even complex documents such as awards could be printed ready for sending. The union could also have instant retrieval of all its information, in-, eluding award provisions, up-to-date information on disputes, and records of members’ and employers’addresses, “It is a far-reaching concept which has not been tried anywhere in New Zealand to my knowledge,” said Mr Aiderdice, referring to the retrieval of award information by computer. If a member telephoned for information about wage entitlements, the union officer would ask certain questions of the caller and feed the answers into the computer. When the information had been fed in, the visual display terminal would come back with the results, which could then be printed out automatically and sent to the member. Mr Alderdice said the decision to spend union funds on such equipment was made by the union’s executive, which saw the computer as a means of providing better service to members. The union has a membership of more than 4000.