Drivers impose meat load-out ban

Press, 14 April 1980, Page 1

Drivers impose meat load-out ban

A load-out bari has been imposed by t?.e , Canterbury Drivers’ ; Union< on. , meat from the .Canterbury Bye-Products abattoir at. Sockburn . The ban takes • .effect; .this’ morning- and arises, from the company’s-plans ’.to-.beginf loading out meat destined for Christchurch 'butchers an . hour later ;than the present’ time of 6 a.m. .. ; ’->•■ It was not expected that the ban would- drastically reduce the - availability of •meat in Christchurch, said the unions’ secretary (Mr P, CR. < 'Liggett)!, . Other ’freezing', works -outside - Christchurchwould - continue to kill, and; have.

meat picked up, . while at least two large city butchers who had always pick- •. ed up their : own meat .from .Sockburn would continue, to; do so. .No Christchurch butcher would be short of meat, said the president of the .Canterbury-Meat-.Retailers’. . Association (Mr. UC-! ;W< Birch). “There are! only; a small number of carrying . firms involved. We . will fetye no trouble at all in maintaining;: supply unless the problem spreads, and I do not think it will' do that," he said. . Mr Liggett said r , the union’s prime concern about the proposed 7 a.m. start to .--loading out was traffic .' congestion. • As? drivers-would be starting

their deliveries an hour later they would not be able to service butchers in the 'central city until . about ,8.30;a.m. ' This . wo.uld mean that big . delivery trucks, would, have ’ to/be’: .parked in j heavy' .traffic, during, . the rush hour, creating a risk . to other road users. “It. is a, ludicrous ■ situation,” he said “It would / mean- Christchurch’ was the’ only city in New;;Zea- . land;where meat' deliveries; 'were made at 8:30 .a.m.' ;'.Everywhereelse they ;are .either, made ‘first thing’, ' or at night.” 'f : Even the employers; of •the drivers were of the ‘ same opinion, he said. ; ‘ Although-the’main point at issue: waS : the traffic

hazard, Mr Liggett said the union was also concerned to protect the. incomes of its members. The change in load-out time could cost some drivers up to $45 a week, as they would not be getting as much in penalty payments.

While Canterbury ByeProducts might be saving a little- in this area, it would lose in the additional time taken for delivery. Mr Liggett gave warning that if meat normally handled by members of the union was handled by other means, the union would impose a total ban on the entire abattoir, so that no stock could be killed. “Other means’’-

would include butchers picking up meat when they did not normally do so. The problem was not in the hands of Canterbury Bye-Products, said its managing director (Mr A. S. Marshall). He said it was for the drivers’ employers to deal with, as they were contracted by meat wholesalers and retailers to deliver meat.

He did not agree that introducing a later start to loading-out would create traffic problems. “It is just a matter of organisation,” Mr Marshall said. “The carriers could organise their run to be in a particular area when there is the lowest volume of traffic. “It is for the carriers to

arrange their business accordingly,” he said. The Christchurch City Council would consider the question also, said Councillor Mollie Clark. She said she had given notice of motion to raise it at the next council meeting, asking that the council’s traffic division study the issue and if necessary submit a draft amendment to the bylaws limiting the time delivery vehicles could work. Cr Clark named the likelihood of a traffic hazard and the need for hygiene as reasons for her action.

“The meat must be moved as quickly as possible from the vehicle to the shop,” she said.