Four-day week rejected

Press, 21 November 1979, Page 15

Four-day week rejected

PA Dunedin Staff at the McSkimming Industries’ Benhar (South Otagoi manufacturing plant have rejected a company proposal for a four-day week. The proposal was rejected when the first voting paper taken from the ballot box was found to be against the proposal.

The acting secretary of the Otago branch of the Labourers’ Union (Mr Fisher), siad that the vote ] to accept a four-day week redundancy had to be unanimous. When the first ballot paper was found to 1 be against the proposal, the union declared that it j had been rejected and no further papers were looked at. The union was waiting , for the company to decide > how many workers at the ; plant would be laid off i and who would be the I first to go, Mr Fisher ! said. Workers were asked if ; they wanted a four-day I week after a big drop in ! demand for the company’s ! vitreous china ware forced the company to reduce the output at Benhar. Mr Fisher said that if the four day week were implemented some of the workers at the plant would take home wages which were close to the dole. That was unacceptable. Mr Fisher said that the “last-on, first-off” principle was difficult to apply because some workers who had been at the \ factory a short time were ; essential to keep it open. ! He said there had been ! no voluntary lay-offs yet, but some of the workers were prepared to sacrifice their jobs to allow married men with young families to keep theirs. “There is still good will between the company and the union and we will thrash it out,” Mr Fisher said.