Black ban threatened

Press, 30 May 1981, Page 6

Black ban threatened

A black ban may be put on A. M. Satterthwaite and Company, Ltd, next week by the Canterbury Trades Council'if a satisfactory redundancy agreement’ for 25 workers is not reached. A. ' settlement is being sought for workers who will be made redundant because of the company’s restructuring plans in Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington. and Christchurch. Notice is being given to 36. of the company’s; workers. Mr A. Lea, of the Canterbury Clerical Workers’ Union, said that the situation would be reassessed; on Tuesday. The unions met the company yesterday. L

.The unions claim four weeks pay for the’first year of service or part thereof, plus two weeks for each subsequent year. Twenty-two workers at the company’s Waltham Road bulk store were on. a one-day strike yesterday in support of the redundancy claim. Workers at the company's head office in Hereford Street were not on strike, as was reported in ‘ The Press” yesterday. The company's finance director, Mr F. D. King, said that it had been made clear to the unions that the reorganisation would affect 'all staff. not just union members.

The settlement offered by the company was comparable with others made in Christchurch. It has offered two weeks pay for the first six months, three weeks for 6 to 12 months service, 4* z a weeks, pay for one to two years service, and/lVz weeks pay for each further year of service, to a maximum of 20 years.

The unions had held up negotiations because they ; had hot been prepared to negotiate on the pay claims whereas the company had. The company hoped that the unions would resume negotiations next week, without preconditions.