Employers hit out at Drivers’ Union ‘pranks’

Press, 21 August 1979, Page 1

Employers hit out at Drivers’ Union ‘pranks’

The Employers’ Federation has launched a strong attack on the Drivers’ Federation for its tactics aimed at keeping the snap 18-hour drivers’ strike legal.

The director of the Employers’ Federation (Mr J. Rowe) described the tactics as an “affront” to the conciliation process and said that “the pranks the union is engaging in must be stopped.” Wellington and Christchurch drivers were told to strike for 48 hours from midnight on Sunday to press a wage claim. Talks on the pay claim began back in May and the latest session collapsed on Wednesday with the drivers seeking a 13 per cent rise and the employees offering 9.5 per cent, with other adjustments in both cases. The strike which began on Sunday and will end at midnight tonight took the public by surprise. To avoid breaching the Industrial Relations Act the drivers last Friday formally withdrew their claim, thus ending the conciliation process. It was this action which prompted the indignation of the Employers’ Federation. “The Industrial Relations Act quite properly outlaws strikes —or lock-outs while conciliation is in progress,” said Mr Rowe yesterday. “The aim of the act is to prevent industrial duress or massage by either side while the conciliation council is still in session. “But the Drivers’ Federation has already circumvented the intention of the act twice in the course of the current negotiations for the General Drivers’ Award. The tactics used by this union, and unions associated with the Drivers’ Federation, are to withdraw claims from conciliation council, but immediately re-file new claims to create another conciliation council. “Now, I ask you, what is sensible or reasonable about preserving the legal niceties of the Industrial Relations Act, merely to legitimise strike action designed to coerce employers into improving on their latest offer? "Furthermore, the procedure of immediately refiling claims. prevents the employer from becoming

the applicant party to the dispute and from having it referred to the Arbitration Court for resolution.” Mr Rowe said that the only real recourse for em- • ployers was to invoke the six-week rule, which allowed the respondent that amount of time to prepare before the conciliation council was set up. “That is hardly likely to get an early, resolution to the dispute,” he said. This was one of the more serious defects of the present industrial-relations system referred to in the Employers’ Federation discussion document, “Balance in Bargaining.” “We believe that if free wage bargaining is to survive in a way which gives both employers and unions a feeling of equity in the system, then the pranks the union is engaging in must be stopped,” said Mr Rowe. The chairman of the Christchurch Driving Industry Co-ordinating Committee (Mr C. L. Paterson') said yesterday that the strike was not having much effect in Canterbury. “As far as I am aware, the employers are just putting up with it. They think they have made a fair offer,” Mr Paterson said. “But if it goes beyond two days, it would have a more serious effect.” The only businesses to suffer would be those with immediate customer deliv* eries, such as dry-cleaners, said Mr Paterson. The secretary of the Canterbury Drivers’ Union (Mr P. R. Liggett) disagreed that the strike was having little effect. “It has caused quite a few problems,” he said. “Rail and wharf work are suffering. Contractors have stopped for two days — it must affect them.” Mr Liggett said that one “ancillary employer” with a staff of “fewer than 10” had agreed to pay his drivers what the union Is asking from this morning. “This employer felt he could afford to pay it,” he said. In Canterbury, drivers in some areas — public transport, those delivering bread, fresh fish, and to

hospitals — have been exempted from the two-day strike. Mr Liggett said that at the moment there were no specific plans for further action, but delegates of the Drivers’ Union in Canterbury would meet this morning for discussions. The Heathcote County Engineer (Mr D. J. May) said yesterday that if Heathcote council drivers were still on strike today areas from which rubbish was usually collected on Mondays and Tuesdays would be covered tomorrow and any remaining areas would be done on Thursday. Heathcote County drivers are covered by the Canterbury Local Body Drivers’ Union, a branch of the Canterbury Drivers’ Union. Local body drivers are exempt from the strike but the Heathcote drivers voted yesterday morning to strike in sympathy. The Westland Drivers’ Union executive will meet this evening to decide whether to join the strike.