Beer runs out as strike continues

Press, 25 February 1983, Page 6

Beer runs out as strike continues

At least six Christchurch hotels had run out of draught Lion beer by yesterday and many more are expected to have run out by Monday. * Lion brewery workers in Christchurch voted by secret ballot yesterday to continue their week-long stand against the management over manning levels in the bottling line at the brewery. This means that there will be no more beer delivered until at least March 3. when they will meet again. ;. Twenty-four brewery workers were suspended on February 18 after they banned loading out on the previous day. and about 46 brewery workers went on strike 'in support. No beer has been loaded out of the brewerv since then. ; The South Island secretary of the Allied Liquor Trades C’nion. Mr G. G. Walker, said that the men were "extremely irate" that the companv had alleged in statements to the news media that they had not abidCd by two written agreements.

- Mr Walker said that the second "agreement" alleged to have been made on Febru-

ary 14 was nut an agreement. He said that the new bottling line, commissioned last September, had never run on the manning level that was agreed to on July 19. "It is my opinion that both the men and Lion are becoming very bitter about the dispute and it looks as if it is going to be long and drawn out." said Mr Walker. The brewery workers agreed yesterday to meet again on March 3. They want the company to replace a worker who left recently but the company says that under the agreement it is not obliged to replace two workers who were in excess of the manning level agreed to in July. The July agreement, made after a meeting of four union representatives and three company representatives, says that the agreed manning scale will come into effect "when the new line is commissioned in approximately eight weeks."

“Men stationed on the line from depalletiser through to the man who places the Kraftboard layer on the top

of the pallet of full bottles will number 18. "This includes three men in the area of the decrater where the Lion management considers there should be only two. and two men at the outfeed of the washer and in the area of the bottle inspectors where the Lion management considers only one man should be stationed. "In addition to the 18 men on the line, the parties agreed to manning of two leading hands and six spare men to cover the whole packaging operation." The full and empty bottle warehouses were to remain staffed al the same level as before but a study of these areas of the decrater and outfeed from washer areas was to be made "expeditiously" after the commissioning date. "On the understanding that the above agreement is implemented the Lion management agrees that the men excess to the above will not be made redundant but will be relocated within the brewery outside the packaging area and will be used to fill positions which become vacant bv attrition."