Plant lay-offs reduced

Press, 8 September 1982, Page 10

Plant lay-offs reduced

PA Auckland The number of workers to be. laid off from the Otahuhu car assembly plant owned byMotor Industries, Ltd. has been reduced from 65 to 37 after negotiations this week between the company and unions. Only 15 of the 37 will be enforced redundancies: 22 employees have volunteered to go." The company s general manager. Mr P. S. Vercoe, and an organiser with the Auckland Engineers' Union. Mr R. C. Cowley, said in a

joint statement after the negotiations that they had sought to reduce the number of redundancies in recognition of the social implications. Some staff will be transferred to maintenance work in the plant, and work schedules will be rearranged so more employees work during the week rather than on Saturdays. The parties also have agreed that production will be reduced by bringing forward part of the routine maintenance programme normally required during the

! Christmas-New Year shuti ' down. The company originally announced last month that 65 workers would be laid off. Motor Industries is a contract assembler for Mazda Motors New Zealand. Ltd, which had asked for a significant reduction in assemblyvolumes. Both parties said they were pleased that an acceptable compromise had been made and a settlement reached without conflict or stoppages. The redundancies will take effect from October 1.