Oringi workers seek autonomy

Press, 21 January 1982, Page 2

Oringi workers seek autonomy

Wellington reporter

Workers employed, at the new Oringi freezing works, near Dannevirke. have voted overwhelmingly not to become a sub-branch of the West Coast branch of the Meat Workers' Union, which is based in Christchurch. The 250 workers announced their decision yesterday, saying that new technology installed at the works made Oringi a special case in which workers would want to be free to consult directly with the Pacific Freezing Company, Ltd, which owns the works, while they watched closely the working of the new technology. A spokesman for the workers. Mr M. Blake, said that membership of the. West Coast branch of the union would take decision-making and the right of direct bar-

gaining out of the workers' hands.

'j ■< ‘‘We simply want to run our own affairs here and separate branch status will enable us to do just that,” Mr Blake said. The union's rules allowed the Oringi workers to become a separate branch and some * sheds already had separate branch status. The Oringi workers supported the union and were not trying to break away from it. They simply felt that they had a democratic right to organise their own affairs and that the important precedent they were establishing should be permitted within the union. The union would make a decision on the matter in several weeks. In the meantime, because several pressing matters had to be resolved with the Oringi management. the Oringi workers

would form their own interim incorporated society to facilitate negotiations with the company. The secretary of the union. Mr A. J. Kennedy, said in Christchurch, that meetings had been held wjth the Oringi workers and that more would be held in the future. The question of branch status was a matter that would have to be settled either by the unions management committee or by the union’s national conference, which will be held in Christchurch at the end of February.

In the meantime, the Oringi workers were members of the West Coast branch of the union and any decision made by the management committee or the national conference was binding on them. They would not be able to attend the national conference as a separate branch.