Mr O’Boyle leaves union

Press, 29 January 1982, Page 4

Mr O’Boyle leaves union

Mr Patrick O'Boyle, the Mobil tanker driver at the centre of, a row with the Canterbury "Drivers’Union’.in October, 1980, is no longer a member of the uhionr.’!s/> « ? Christchurch . blanker drivers went, on strike, fqr five days then, demanding that Mobil sack Mr O’Boyle after he had stobd up at a union meeting and .questioned a levy and accused the union’s secretary, Mr P. R. Liggett, of misapplying union funds and altering the minute book. Mr O’Boyle later withdrew the allega : - lions in a;.letter. Mobil did not dismiss Mr O’Boyle in 1980. but this month he was told that he had a .choice either of accepting a job in the com-

pany's Lyttelton office or of because of insufficient work brought, about - by a change from union drivers to mainly owner - driving. • .'. .Mr O’Boyle opted for the job at Lyttelton, and began y on Monday. It is believed that he is not eligible to join - the Canterbury Clerical Workers’ Union because his salary is above the award salary bar. ■■■’ Last evening Mr O'Boyle said he did not wish to comment on the move to Lyttelton because the situation was "tricky.” Mr Vic Dick, Mobil's employee relations manager, said from Wellington yesterday that nine Christchurch

drivers had signed contracts to become owner-drivers and were already driving on tem-

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porary vehicle authorities. • • Three’ other drivers were 5 still on wages and were still .in the union. ' The applications for per'raanent vehicle authority ap- ’ proval for the nine drivers ■’ will be heard by the Tran- J sport Licensing Authority at ’ Christchurch on February 10. Mr Liggett said union officials would be at the ' hearing and would ask some questions, but the union was happy with the contracts, which were probably the g fairest in the country. ‘ ‘. j More than 30 Mobil drivers in Wellington. Dunedin. Invercargill. Tirnaru, and * Palmerston North have already gone over to driving ? under contract.