Leave Court’s decision alone Mr Rowling

Press, 29 September 1979, Page 3

Leave Court’s decision alone Mr Rowling

PA Wellington The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) yesterday appealed to the Government to keep its hands off the Arbitration Court decision on the General' Drivers’ Award. If the Government did this, there was a great opportunity for things to settle down on the troubled industrial front, Mr Rowling said at a news conference.

“If however, the Government makes any attempt whatsoever to interfere with the decision of that court, we will have a total shambles on the industrial scene,” Mr Rowling said. There would then be no organisation to which unions could turn with any faith that a decisio" would be left alone.

The next few days during which the drivers’ case was due to be heard by the Arbitration Court would be crucial, Mr Rowling said. The Government had the chance to give the Arbitration Court the opportunity of restoring unions’ faith in arbitration.

Mr Rowling also attacked what he described as the Government’s determination to rule by "vendetta.” “If you fall foul of the Prime Minister and it is legislatively possible to do

something about it, then it seems the odds are that you are heading for trouble,” Mr Rowling said.

The Government’s action against the drivers when other unions had settled for higher pay increases and its action against Corso, were the latest examples of this, he said.