Further two days if progress slow

Press, 22 August 1979, Page 1

Further two days if progress slow

Extending the strike until Monday, the union delegates’ meeting yesterday decided to call a further 48-hour strike after Monday unless quick settlement of the award was reached.

The president of the Canterbury Drivers’ Union (Mr L. A. Earl) said the drivers would returh to work on Monday, and employers at that stage who agreed to the unions’ claims would be exempt from further action.

One Christchurch company had already agreed to meet the claim, said Mr Earl. The decision yesterday to extend the strike had been taken because “the guys felt that the employers needed an extra push.”

The union has granted dispensation for the trans* port of bread, milk, and newspapers, as well as the maintenance of essential services.

Certain antibiotic drugs are understood to be in short supply in Christchurch because of a delay in deliveries from the airport. Mr Earl said that in a previous strike “two or three” drug companies had been granted dispensations. It was up to the companies

to approach the union now, and they would receive letters giving dispensation for transporting certain drugs considered worth while by the union, he said. “We realise those sorts of commodities have to be taken out at certain times,” said Mr Earl. The drivers’ national claim is for a 13 per cent wage increase, plus next month’s 4.5 per cent general wage order. The Canterbury drivers want a similar amount, but they are seeking it in a different manner: a 10 per cent increase, with the wage order, and a 10 per cent rise in ail allowances.

Mr Earl said they were seeking an extra $5 a week on top of the present industry allowance of $7.36, and a service allowance ranging from between 11c extra an hour after one year to 21c an hour after five years.

Canterbury drivers are being issued with a circular from their employers setting out what they say is a pay offer of between 10.5 per cent and 13.5 per cent, before the wage order.

Referring to the circular, Mr Earl said: “There is a fair bit of guff around the. country.” The union would

put out its own circular explaining its claims. Mr C. L. Paterson, chairman of the Christchurch Driving industry Coordination Committee, said the employers believed many drivers wanted to accept their offer and return to work. “The eight days strike will seriously affect many breadwinners,” he commented. The decision to strike for a week had been made by union organisers and delegates, and not by the workers in general meeting — “in contrast to the insistence by the union earlier that all decisions had to go back to the workers themselves,” he said.

Mr Paterson’s committee is placing an advertisement in newspapers tomorrow that will outline the employers’ offer to drivers. “We believe they are not fully aware of the actual effect of the nine and ahalf per cent offer,” ne said. When it was combined with the general wage order, and allowances, a driver without service would receive a 15.5 per cent increase, he said. Those with 10 years service would receive 18.5 per cent.