Council row settled

Press, 10 February 1981, Page 6

Council row settled

Christchurch City. Council services returned to normal yesterday after striking labourers decided almost unanimously to go back to Work. . .

At a 35-miriute meeting in the Town Hall yesterday about 550 council workers agreed to a return to work and to drop allegations against salaried workers. The meeting had accepted a" solution worked out with the council, said the secretary of the Canterbury branch of the Labourers’ Union, Mr R. A. Lowe. Council workers walked off the job last week in protest against the sacking of a labourer and a driver for allegedly doing private work in council time. Under the solution the driver had been reinstated and alternative disciplinary measures taken by the council, Mr Lowe said/ He could not say what the alternative

measures were. The labourer cleaned up Cathedral Square involved had found another yesterday. A check of the j O b . suburbs had also been made While the meeting had de- to pick up the "odd” rubbish cided to let lie allegations bag that had been left out. against salaried staff it had The usual rubbish bag colasked union officials to lection days would apply ensure that “double stan- this week and the Bexley tip dards do not apply in the had also reopened, future.” The combined unions would make some submissions to the council on a formula to deal with conduct in all aspects of .council work. They were prepared, to agree to an informal inquiry that might bring out recommendations for the fair treatment of all council staff. .... There had been guidelines in the past but these had not been applied equally. A code of conduct was necessary so that. all employees knew exactly where they stood, Mr Lowe said. The City Engineer, Mr P. G. 'Secular, said that an extra gang of labourers had