Strikes spark redundancies

Press, 6 September 1980, Page 6

Strikes spark redundancies

PA Wellington A “significant” number of workers employed oh the Huntly power scheme by the site’s main contractor, Combustion Engineering Robert Stone will be laid off, the company announced yesterday.' , ■ !"’"!!',, ; ■--■ The redundancies were necessary “as a', result of continuing industrial disruptions and associated low productivity levels”, the contractors said. . The move had become necessary to rationalise the company’s total activities “in order to ensure economic viability and satisfactory completion of the company’s boiler contract.” Earlier yesterday. 92 boilermakers employed by the Contractor walked off the’ job in protest against a!

supervisor’s allegedly abusing a boilermaker. The boilermakers said they intended to stay on strike until Tuesday. A spokesman for the boilermakers said the victim of the abuse distributed the Communist . “Peoples’ Voice” newspaper at the site, but was a “quiet, inoffensive guy” who was leaving yesterday anyway.; The company’s management said late yesterday that workers would be laid off on a last-on-first-off without exception basis, and be paid, according to terms of their industrial agreement.

The remaining workforce would be concentrated on specific priority work, to allow orderly completion of the project, the contractor said.