Tyre workers stay out

Press, 30 May 1981, Page 6

Tyre workers stay out

Firestone rubber workers have voted to go on strik' indefinitely as a result of th dismissal of a worker o Thursday. Firestone’s industrial rel? tions manager, Mr G. Lea said yesterday that the com pany had no intention oi reinstating the dismissed worker, who is an executive member of the Rubber Workers’ Union. The man had been dismissed for failing to work to specification, Mr Lea said. During the last 14 months he had been warned about his work on three occasions. The union could contest the dismissal by working

through the disputes pro cedure. < The strike began on Thurs dav when the afternoon shif of' the company’s Papanui tvre factory voted to go on strike in support of the dismissed, worker. The strike continued yesterday when the rest of the rubber workers voted to gc on strike. The secretary of the Canterbury Rubber Workers Union. Mr L. G. Morel, saic that the union had put ; “reasonable offer” to th< company yesterday morninjto resolve the issue. But the company had taken an unconciliatory position.

The workers had indicated that they thought this was a case of victimisation. The worker ‘had been warned by the company. The previous time had been nine months ago. All the man had done was to build one tyre incorrectly. The usual procedure was to correct the tyre if possible, but for the first time the company had failed to follow that procedure.. When people were working at an incentive pace there were sometimes slips. Now anyone could be dismissed by the company for this sort of thing. Mr Morel said.