Court to settle union disputes on demarcation

Press, 19 February 1983, Page 5

Court to settle union disputes on demarcation

PA Wellington Employers at four "think big" sites have asked the Arbitration Court to settle demarcation disputes between the Labourers’ Union and the Engineers' Union. The first case, scheduled for hearing on February 23. involves the stand-alone methanol plant at Waitara, where the Court has been asked to determine which union should be involved in the fabrication and erection of two steel bridges across two roadways for the purpose of carrying construction materials such as pipes. Further actions involving a range of jobs will be heard later in respect of the Marsden Point oil refinery expansion, the New Zealand Steel, Ltd. expansion at Glenbrook, and the Motunui synthetic petrol plant will be heard later. In all cases the dispute papers have been filed with' the Arbitration Court by the employers. Several meetings between

the unions, also involving the Federation of Labour, failed to settle the points at issue between the labourers and the engineers. Petralgas Chemicals N.Z., Ltd, was the first of the developers to file an application with the Court seeking a ruling.

The other three are JV2 (Marsden 'Point refinery expansion), Bechtel Pacific Inc (synthetic petrol plant at Motunui). and New Zealand Steel (Glenbrook expansion). Their applications will be heard separately.

The spokesman said that no date had been set for the Bechtel application, the New Zealand Steel hearing was tentatively set down for February 28 and March 1 and 2 at Auckland, and the JV2 hearing was likely to follow immediately on March 3 and 4, also at Auckland. However, it was possible the JV2 hearing could be put back to the week starting March 14, he said.