Thousands answer anti-strike call

Press, 4 March 1981, Page 1

Thousands answer anti-strike call

tions New Zealand has seen in decades.

Estimates of the crowd ranged from 10,000 to 50,000.

The Auckland City Council traffic superintendent, Mr J. J. Neilson, said that the rush of people to join in as the march moved down Queen Street made it difficult for his officers to gauge its size.

They estimated at least 25,000, and probably as high as 30,000, he said. Police estimates put the crowd between 20,000 and 30,000. Other experienced observers put it at 30,000. It "appeared much bigger than previous heavy turnouts in Queen Street for the 1977 Jesus rally, the

march against the Vietnam War in 1971, and the Trades Council rally against falling living standards last August In contrast to Monday’s Trades Council rally, when about 2000 unionists marched to jeers and abuse from Queen Street bystanders, yesterday’s marchers received overwhelming applause from thousands, of people lining the street and w’atching from upper windows of off’ce blocks.

A music shop had mounted four 60-watt speakers in its doorway, and gave the march the national anthem at full blast as it passed. Further down Queen Street, the demonstrators

were greeted with a shower of tickertape. Only one group of union supporters made its presence known. They took the opportunity to shout, “Back to work,” at the throng. The police reported no incidents and no arrests. Five National members of Parliament including Mr D. M. J. Jones (Helensville) and the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Highet) took an inconspicuous part in the march.

One of the marchers had come from as far as Wairarapa, “representing I COO brassed-off dairy farmers.” The march was a test of physical endurance for Mrs Esther Keesing-Styles,

of Henderson, who is severely disabled on her right side and can scarcely move both legs.

“It is the first tispe I have walked right uown Queen Street,” she sa'd afterwards. “I dd not think I could do it, but my friends and the cheers of the crowd kept me going,” she said. Mr Maitoe Uri, who is blind, came from Parnell to march. “This should have happened 20 years ago,” he said. Mrs Constance Grimwood of Forrest Hill, lent him her arm, saying: “I have been so ashamed to think we have all been so apathetic, and that young kid showed the way.”

Mr Bren Hartigan, aged 72, sa*d that he w’as marching because he Was against trade unions.

“I think they are getting too powerful, and are trying to run New Zealand,” he said.

A sizeable number of Air New Zealand head office staff arrived in Aotea Square to wild applause shortly before the start of the march. They carried company flags and wore company blazers. Many had company identity cards pinned on their clothing. ■ - One of the contingent, who would not be named, sa’d that it was not an official company representation.

“We want to show thab even though Air New Zealand is at the heart of the trouble, most employees totally oppose the illegal strike,” he said. The president of the Auckland Trades Council, Mr G. H. Andersen, said that the march reflected a “polarisation of the class position in New Zealand.” “It tended to be whitecollar, middle-class participation,” he said. Mr Andersen said that he knew of one company which had told its employees that they would be paid if they marched. He would, not name the company. Engineers return to work, Page 3