Ban on Clyde site

Press, 28 March 1983, Page 1

Ban on Clyde site

The Canterbury Trades Council has put a black ban on the Clyde dam site. The ban was imposed at the monthly meeting of the council on Thursday, according to the secretary, Mr G. G. Walker.

‘‘Williamsons and those German people decided that they are not going to have a site agreement,” Mr Walker said. “The position is quite ridiculous. “The Government has taken the contract from the Ministry of Works, which had a wages contract, and given it to a New Zealand firm in conjunction with a German firm and they cannot get an agreement,” Mr Walker said. “The union movement in the South Island is not going to be dictated to from Germany or anywhere,” he said.

Mr Walker said that the joint-venture contractor was trying to build a dam without an agreement and that the black ban would remain in force until an agreement was reached. In the meantime, the Trades Council “won’t be talking to anyone.”

“We are advising all workers not to go near the site until an agreement is reached,” Mr Walker said.

Workers signing up now to work on the project under the existing rates will not be covered by any new site agreements, according to a report from Dunedin. The wage talks between the combined unions representatives and the contractor collapsed over the extent of the wage freeze exemption granted by the Government. Last week drivers in Otago, Southland, and Canterbury put a ban on the cartage of any goods associated with Zublin-Williamson until the consortium agreed to resume negotiations.

The advocate for ZublinWilliamson, Mr Steve Marshall, said last evening that he was surprised at the Canterbury Trades Council’s decision at a time when the combined unions and the contractor were awaiting a Government decision on exemptions. Mr Marshall said the joint venture would have to vet the effects of the black ban.

“We cannot say yet what the effect is,” he said. If a significant effect was noted Zublin-Williamson would have to consider alternatives, but Mr Marshall said he would rather not discuss at present what these might be.

“The joint venture has been quite open about the fact that we are looking at the letting of contracts and the engagement of labour on schedule,” Mr Marshall said. This would be “from midyear, give or take a month or two,” he said. “It does surprise me that the Trades Council in Christchurch, having no direct involvement in the negotiations, has taken this action, especially in light of the combined union application to the Government,” Mr Marshall said. “It is a little out of character.” It was the result of “people taking action when unfortunately they appear not to be fully aware of the facts,” he said.

“At no stage has the joint venture said it would not negotiate a site agreement. It has accepted a need for a site agreement in two applications for exemptions,” Mr Marshall said. “I cannot understand how Mr Walker has been made aware that we do not want a site agreement. It is factually incorrect,”- he said.