Industrial unrest
Sir, — In a recent interview on television, Sir Thomas Skinner, former president of the Federation of Labour admitted that the General Wage Order system had helped the minor unions to gain some monetary benefit. It was also an admission that the key unions have been successful in gaining wage increases through industrial muscle. The latest round of strikes by the Drivers’ Federation using the transport industry as a trendsetter in wage demands has placed the employers in an impossible position. Led by the Socialist Unity Party, the drivers are merely Communist pawns in the aspirations of a hard Left-wing executive. Direct bargaining encourages industrial sabotage and it is significant that the only time New Zealand has had some semblance of industrial harmony was when the Arbitration Court was the sole authority. Departure from the jurisdiction of the Court after the nil order in 1968 has seen a succession of industrial tragedies. — Yours, etc., L. J. STEVENS, Oamaru. August 26, 1979.
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Press, 29 August 1979, Page 20
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162Industrial unrest Press, 29 August 1979, Page 20
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