Spokesman sacked

Press, 12 March 1982, Page 3

Spokesman sacked

PA Wellington The Federation of Commercial Fishermen announced yesterday that its controversial spokesman, Mr lan McWhannell, had been sacked. Mr McWhannell was suspended last month by the federation’s president, Mr Gerald Field, for “making misleading and false press statements.” Mr McWhannell alleged that the Minister of Fisheries (Mr Maclntyre) had put pressure on the federation’s executive to stop him from criticising Government fishing policies, especially joint ventures and Fletcher’s joint venture with the Russians.

When asked to resign, he

said: “I have fought long and hard for New Zealand fishermen. I have no intention of resigning. They can sack me but I won’t resign. My conscience is clear. “There is not one statement I made that was not a federation policy statement confirmed at conference or a motion passed at an executive meeting,” Mr McWhannell said, when interviewed last month. Mr Field said: “Mr McWhannell had been instructed, and had agreed, that he should not make any press statements unless they had been cleared by the president or secretary first. This agreement had been deliberately disregarded.

“The executive was particularly unhappy that Mr McWhannell decided to take his grievances to the news media rather than raise them first with the executive.” Mr Field said that Mr McWhannell, who is now in South India working full-time on a fisheries co-operative, was through his legal representative unable to provide any reason for his reinstatement. “He has chosen not to resign and under the circumstances the executive had no alternative as his employer but to end his employment,” Mr Field said.