Chch shop strike likely
Christchurch shop assistants are expected to follow . the pattern of \ other main centres and stay,, away from work after theirs stopwork meeting bn Friday to protest against;:the introduction to Parliament of legislation to allow Saturday trading. (It was incorrectly reported in “The Press” yesterday that the meeting would be on Thursday.)
Auckland shop employees took Monday off, Dunedin workers followed suit yesterday, and Wellington workers are expected to strike today. The secretary of the Canterbury Shop Employees’ Union (Mr B. Alderdice) said that Christchurch had traditionally. been strongly opposed .to Saturday trading and there was no reason to believe that, the . meeting would take any lesser stance than-the other unions. • Hj;.
The meeting will also consider a motion condemning Saturday trading and another giving the union executive authority to call more stopwork meetings if considered necessary. More than 2000 shop employees are .expected to attend the . meeting. •’ Most shops .in Christchurch are expected to remain open, using executive staff or owner-managers, but some bigger stores may. have to close if their staffing is seriously depleted by a strike. The Canterbury Retailers’ Association has said that each retailer .will ■have to .make, a separate. decision on whether-16 .Open. Shop ■ employees went- on strike in Dunedin yesterday, the Press Association reports.
But,’ as ' in Auckland bn Monday,, shops in Dunedin were relatively unaffected and virtually all ...stores re-.
mained open manned by executives, juniors and by employees who did not want to go on strike. Many stores were having their mid-winter sales day, and George Street and Princes Street seemed as busy as ever. Of the main street- department stores, only one was closed because of the strike. Fewer than half a dozen smaller shops were closed, including several meat retailers.
Two union meetings were held simultaneously in Dunedin to discuss the issues. At the Regent Theatre, about 700 retail employees and butchers decided to go home for the day. ; Clerical employees of retailers, holding a separate meeting, did mot ■ vote bn A strike.
Both meetings voted almost unanimously their opposition to Saturday trading, and their support for unions’ submissions Of their bill. >//:
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Press, 16 July 1980, Page 6
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355Chch shop strike likely Press, 16 July 1980, Page 6
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