Mill chief slates move

Press, 27 February 1980, Page 1

Mill chief slates move

The managing director of N.Z. Forest Products (Mr Douglas Walker) said in Auckland last evening that the company deplored the Government’s intervention.

When he had met Mr Muldoon recently he had tried to persuade him not to take that kind of action.

“Throughout the negotiations we maintained a very close liaison with the Minister of Labour and the Secretary of Labour and at no stage were we given any indication that this sort of intervention would occur,” said Mr Walker. T ie Government had not questioned last week’s Tasman settlement. "I am aware of Government concern about large

wage increases but the Tasman increases were based on higher base rates which were, by inclusion of certain skill allowances, in the settlement last April. The industry has generally preserved a degree of parity on wage rates. Sunday’s settlement, had recognised that and had arrived at the same base rat*' as Tasman.

The company had not formulated any immediate plans but wanted to study the regulations Mr Muldoon had said he would introduce. “We have constantly set out to achieve a voluntary, negotiated settlement and feel that that is better than a regulated one,” said Mr Walker.