Striking bank staff to hear proposals today

Press, 27 December 1979, Page 3

Striking bank staff to hear proposals today

Bank of New Zealand branches in Christchurch that were closed on Monday because of a strike might resume full services to their customers by 10 a.m. today, if proposals to be put to a meeting of the staff of local branches this morning are accepted. The meeting will be held in the Limes Room of the Town Hall at 8.30 a.m. Almost all Bank of New’ Zealand branches and agencies in Christchurch closed on Monday after bank staff had voted last Friday to strike. The dispute is about a union claim for ‘‘above grade” staff to receive award increases. Local customers of the bank had difficultv getting money for Christmas and

I holiday spending because of ; their inability to withdraw . funds from their accounts ■ directly from branches. The chief manager (per- , sonne 1) of the Bank of New 1 Zealand, in Wellington (Mr ! L. L. Riissell) said last even- ; ing that discussions had been held yesterday between I senior executive officers of : the bank and the general secretary of the Bank Officers’ ■ Union (Mr D. Aimer). As a result, proposals had I been worked out and these jwould be put to this morn--1 ing’s meeting of the staff of : Christchurch branches, ■ Mr Russell said it had been I agreed that details of the proposals should not be dis- • closed before the meeting. ; He said he believed that I the union’s national president

f (Mr J. Pilling, of Auckland) t would attend the meeting. s Mr Russell said the strike had led to a very restricted - service available in Christ--1 church on Monday. Similar r action taken in Auckland had - been much smaller. Several I branches there had provided i restricted services. f Any decision on the open- - ling of the bank’s branches in ’! Christchurch today would de'pend on the result of this j 1 morning’s meeting. » If the proposals arrived at - yesterday were accepted. Mr f! Russell said he hoped that ■the staff would return to work by 10 a.m.. the normal 81 time of opening to customers. -| "The bank is anxious that |we get back to full services II for customers,” Mr Russell t‘said.