Brewery staff impose ban

Press, 18 February 1983, Page 6

Brewery staff impose ban

Brewery workers at the Lion brewery in Christchurch imposed a load-out ban on all beer from the plant yesterday, in a dispute over manning levels.

The load-out ban follows up a black ban on the company's $4.5 million bottling plant which was commissioned last year. The ban was imposed about a week ago. but had no effect because the 19 workers were then working on the canning line.

A spokesman for the company said from Wellington that the load-out ban would stop any beer from leaving the brewery, but he said that no shortages were expected in liquor outlets because most were well stocked. The workers are unhappy because the company has not replaced a worker who left recently, but the company spokesman said that under an agreement signed by the Allied Liquor Trades Union 12 months ago and signed again this week, the manning level is set at 18. The spokesman said that the company had agreed to

engage two more workers when the plant was being commissioned last September. and undertook not to dismiss them. But the company had said it would not replace them if they left, and this was what it was doing. However, the workers believe that a staff of 20 is needed on the bottling line and they do not regard the agreement as binding. One worker described it as a “temporary" agreement and that it had been proved during the running of the new plant that 20 were needed.

The workers’ spokesman said it would take “quite a few modifications" before the new plant could function so smoothly that only 18 workers would be required.

The load-out ban means that tanker drivers, who work under contract, have little to do but clean their vehicles. It also means that the company may suspend the brewery workers from today, although the company's spokesman would not say whether this had already been decided.