Motonui wage rate criticised

Press, 2 June 1982, Page 17

Motonui wage rate criticised

PA Wellington The International contracting firm. Bechtel, has been criticised by the Employers’ Federation for a settlement reached in wage negotiations at New Plymouth at the week-end for the. Motonui synthetic fuel plant site. The federation’s director of advocacy. Mr Max Bradford, said the core hourly rate of 56.45, construction allowance of $2,023 an hour (payable on overtime), disability allowance of 21c an hour and the redundancy allowance of $26.73 a week (to be paid in a lump sum to workers on site during complete construction scheme at the end of a job) equalled the highest rates paid on a big project in New Zealand. “There is no doubting the fact that now Marsden Point oil refinery wage rates have been introduced to Taranaki, there will be severe pressure placed upon other employers

in the region," Mr Bradford said. When releasing details of the agreed rates, the union advocate, Mr Neville Taylor, and the chief Bechtel negotiator, Mr Sheldon Young, said that satisfactory arrangements had been made for accommodation, recruitment, safety, training, and industrial relations communication and co-ordination. . “The parties were mindful of the needs of the wider Taranakai community when considering the areas of accommodation and recruitment. "The manner in which both Bechtel and the unions approached the negotiations has set a foundation upon which to build sound industrial relations in the future.” A number of structural changes had been made in the agreement to streamline and clarify certain administrative difficulties experi-

enced in past agreements. Mr Young and Mr Taylor said the agreement would be backdated to March 12 and would be in force for 12 months. Mr Bradford said that the agreement wduld put considerable pressure on employers’' negotiators involved in the forthcoming site talks for the Petralgas chemical methanol project, outside Waitara, and New Zealand Steel’s South Auckland mill. "Our concern for high wage rates in the main projects area, and effects they could have on general wage rates, are still very much to the forefront of our minds,” Mr Bradford said. However, Mr Taylor disagreed. He said agreement had been reached between experienced negotiators and any inference an agreement had been made without regard to the’facts was incorrect.

"Sideline criticism from persons who were not present will in the end break down the credibility and confidence in our free wagebargaining system," he said. The Marsden Point rate Mr Bradford referred to had been settled in negotiations with an Employers’ Federa-

tion representative present, Mr Taylor said. “The employers heard our arguments and we heard theirs during 10 days of exhaustive and difficult negotiating. This was the basis on which agreement was reached for Motonui,” he said.