Workers test week

Press, 15 April 1980, Page 6

Workers test week

Rubber workers at the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company’s Papanui plant are pressing for a 38-hour working week. They believe that two hours off each shift per week could result in a 5 per cent improvement in productivity. They are attempting to achieve this by an experiment in reorganising work patterns and procedures. The experiment began last week without the permission of the management. The secretary of the Canterbury Rubber Workers’ Union (Mr L. G. Morel) said the men worked hard to improve production all week, and then each shift stopped work two hours early on Friday. This menat the seconc shift came on two hours earlier than usual, the third shift four hours earlier, and the fourth shift, six. The Firestone management then stopped the experiment by turning off the main switches and effectively shutting the factory, he said. Mr Morel said that discussions had been held with the management, asking for its co-operation in the experiment. On receiving a negative response, the workers had decided to “go ahea< regardless.” If there was no loss to the company, the exercise must benefit the workers and the management, Mr Morel said The workers would- ’get another evening with their families and the manage-

ment would save on overheads. “We have not got final figures, but we believe production last week was increased by approximately 8 per cent,” Mr Morel said. The Firestone works manager (Mr V. W. West) said his company did not accept the assertion that the people could reduce their hours and still give the same capacity that was expected in 40 hours. “We accept that individuals can increase productiv-ity-on a day-to-day basis, but the capacity of the factory is determined by the curing cycle. There is a certain time the tyre has to be heated, no more, no less. There is no way they could improve production to that extent,” Mr-West said. Firestone was averse to

the way the workers hac gone about their experiment. They had walked on to the job early last Friday, and this could not be accepted by the company. “They are trying to negotiate a 38-hour week by means outside the contract,” he said. In the meantime, the rubber workers are continuing to try to increase their production this week. Mr Morel said, “we are going to try to talk to the management again. If they won’t listen, there will be another clash on Friday when the shifts come on early.” A stop-work meeting will be held at 3 p.m. today. “After that,” Mr Wes: said, “the management will have a better idea , of where it stands. But the management is not going to give up its prerogative to manage.”