Patea workers offered more redundancy pay

Press, 3 September 1982, Page 2

Patea workers offered more redundancy pay

PA New Plymouth Patea freezing workers have been offered an increase in their redundancy pay. The vice-president of the West Coast brgnch of the Meat Workers’ Union, Mr Ray Potroz, said that W. and R. Fletcher, Ltd, had offered the 300 workers yesterday a further 2 per cent increase for each year they had worked. That makes redundancy pay now offered 8 per cent of ordinary pay and 4 per cent for each subsequent year up to 20 years. • Mr Potroz said the union had amended its claims slightly but the company's offer had “quite a few fish

hooks" in regard to the interpretation of ordinary pay. An attempt to iron them out would be made in further negotiations today. If these were unsuccessful, 1 the union would discuss the problem with union representatives at works owned or partially ownpd by W. and R. Fletcher and take further action. The Social Welfare Department in Patea is expecting approaches from about 600 people within the next few weeks, and four temporary workers have been employed to cope with the extra workload. ■' The department has dealt with several inquiries since the works' closing on Wednesday but many more

are expected from today. Up to 200 jobs could be found for people from the works if special employment schemes were adopted in Patea, said the office supervisee. Mr Grant Hayde. Workers from the chains would find' it hardest to get jobs. Many skilled people had already found employment, he said. A firm in Wanganui had offered a job for a Patea maintenance worker but all such workers had found jobs closer to Patea. The Labour Department was advising unemployed people to enrol as soon as possible, and not leave it until their redundancy money ran out.