Transport firm to seek injunction

Press, 7 August 1982, Page 6

Transport firm to seek injunction

Mid-Canterbury Transport is applying to the High Court in Christchurch to lift a ban imposed on the company on July 22. In a statement made last evening, the marketing development manager of MidCanterbury Transport. Mr David Thornton, said that the Road Transport Association is assisting the company in its application. Mr Thornton said that since July 22 freight forwarding foremen employed at freight forwarding yards have refused t.o handle goods brought in or required to be taken out by Mid-Canterbury Transport.

“As a direct result of this ban the company has been forced to suspend two drivers (members of the Drivers’ Union) and unless the ban is lifted further suspensions will follow almost immediately," Mr Thornton said.

On Thursday the Auckland Storepersons and Packers' Union instructed its members at the yard of a MidCanterbury transport client

to refuse to load all freight unless the client stopped consigning to Mid-Canterbury Transport. Mr Thornton said. _ “The injunction sought re-’ quires that the Canterbury and Westland Stores Packing and Warehouse Workers Union and the Auckland Storepersons and Packers' Union instruct their members at freight forwarders' yards to resume handling all goods to and from Mid-Can-terbury Transport,” he said. “Individual union officials are also named in the injunction."

The general manager of Mid-Canterbury??? Transport, Mr Martin de Jong, said that the effect of tlj.e ban will be to reduce the local cartage work available to his firm and will mean that more staff may have to be suspended. He also pointed out that the bulk freight forwarders award relates only to specific companies and not to work of a similar nature done outside those companies. “This is the legal position

and the union is attempting to use Mid-Canterbury Transport as an entry into the whole of the transport industry in defiance of the law and existing awards," Mr de Jong said. "We are now actively seeking the support of our clients and our colleagues in the industry to give us their full backing in our fight against this industrial blackmail,” he said.

The union imposed the ban after-a dispute over award coverage. It said that, because the company's drivers loaded freight, they should be covered by .the freight-for-, warding award. However. Mr ■ Thornton said that the work occupied one man for six hours a week and that the Labour Department had told the company that the award did not apply; The company had suspended the two drivers because “there was not enough work for them” and did not know how many more it would have to suspend unless the ban was lifted, he said.