Woollen workers stop in sympathy

Press, 30 November 1982, Page 2

Woollen workers stop in sympathy

PA Wellington Work at the Bonds (N.Z.), Ltd, plant at Porirua halted yesterday, morning when more than 100 Woollen Workers’ Union members stopped work in sympathy with 12 striking clerical workers protesting at the dismissal of a colleague.

The worker dismissed is the Wellington Clerical Workers’ Union vice-presi-dent, Mr Keith Smith, who is an office manager and mail clerk at the plant. Twelve of Bonds’ 17 clerical workers went on strike last Monday after Mr Smith was deemed redundant and dismissed.

A picket was set up outside the plant at 7.30 a.m. yesterday after a meeting with the management on Sunday evening failed to resolve the dispute, said a Clerical Workers’ Union organiser, Ms Martha Coleman. The picket broke up, however, when the plant’s Woollen Union workers decided on a 24-hour stoppage, as did eight Storepersons and Pakcers’ Union members who work at Bonds. The stoppage was to be from 7.30 a.m. yesterday. Ms Coleman said union representatives who met the management were told that the redundancy stood. Bonds’ management refused to take the matter to a mediator, she said. The 12 Clerical Union members met last Friday and resolved to go on an indefinite strike until, the redundancy is withdrawn.