Freight work strike

Press, 23 September 1980, Page 6

Freight work strike

Christchurch freight-for-warders went on strike yesterday when employers’ representatives refused to meet delegates of the Storemen and Packers’. Union for informal award’talks. The 120 freight-forwarders will meet again tomorrow. The talks were" to be held in Auckland yesterday. The secretary of the union’s Canterbury-Westland branch (Mr P. E. Piesse) said that the employers refused to come to the talks because, of disputes at two Auckland depots. Union delegates offered to discuss the disputes sb that the talks could . proceed blit the employers again refused to talk, Mr Piesse said. He said that the disputes .were “totally unrelated” to the award talks. “It was a pettifogging excuse .hot" to : meef us. We travelled all the way to Auckland . only. to.. find they were ; playing silly games,” said Mr 4 Piesse. ■.. • _ fex*.? $ northern industrial district,

Hawke’s Bay and Canter-bury-Westland, broke down ; on September 10. Mr Piesse said that the union had reduced its claim to five points. The 25 per cent wage claim had been reduced-to 18.4 per cent and transport, chemical handling, clothing, and long-service allowances were included in the claims. “These are all still negotiable,” Mr Piesse said. Conciliation talks were held in Christchurch but union delegates went to Auckland; at the employers’ suggestion. ■ “They can suggest Auckland until they are blue ; in the face from now'on. The conciliation talks were held in Christchurch and they can come down here. We spent a lot of time and money travelling to Auckland. It . was a wasted day,” said Mr Piesse. He said " that the ? strike would have to last for some time before the public were affected. . < “We do not. want an all out, knock ’em out, bitter, long-lasting "dispute. But we

will fight if we have to,” I said Mr Piesse. The secretary of the union’s Auckland branch. Mr M. C. Jackson, said one of the Auckland disputes, at the Alltrans depot in Market Road, was because the company would not pay ' some workers for time lost as die result of an administrative problem. He said that the other dispute, at the Mogal depot, arose because the company was trying to avoid a strike and the workers wanted pay for the time 'they were on strike. Mr Jackson said freightforwarding storemen would meet today to consider implementing a decision made by an action committee last week to act against the employers if the award talks broke down. The employers’ spokesman, Mr W. R. C. Gardiner, said the industry was at a standstill in Christchurch yesterday and that two big depots in Auckland were stopped. Neither party had plans , for a resumption of the award negotiations.