Redundancy pay for sacked motor workers

Press, 1 February 1983, Page 3

Redundancy pay for sacked motor workers

PA Wellington Sacked car assembly workers at Todd Motors will be among the industry's first compulsory redundancy victims to be paid compensation. Sixty of the Porirua car assembler's workers are likely to lose their jobs, but they will each gain up to three weeks redundancy pay. Hundreds of other car assembly and component industry workers have been sacked without redundancypay because industrial legislation prevents payments to workers with less than a year's service. However, the Todd Motors' workers will receive redundancy pay because of a longstanding redundancy agreement the company has had with the industry unions. The Coachworkers' Union's secretary. Mr Graeme

Clarke, and the Employers Federation's advocate, Mr lan Clark, both confirmed yesterday that the Porirua workers were eligible for redundancy pay. They said that redundancy agreements registered before last year’s industrial legislation banned payments to first-year workers were still valid. Industry union representatives met’ Todd Motors management yesterday and were told that about 60 workers were to lose their jobs. The affected workers are to be told of their plight this week and union officials are planning a stop-work meeting at the company's assembly plant on Thursday. A further 47 workers at the Porirua plant will keep their jobs in the meantime, but will be employed on alternative work schemes.