Meat workers want union preference

Press, 31 January 1984, Page 2

Meat workers want union preference

Meat workers in Marlborough, Westland, and Canterbury have supported their branch executive’s recommendation that they should work towards the reintroduction of preference for union members.

The branch secretary, Mr W. R. Cameron, said in Christchurch yesterday that the executive felt preference clauses in awards, abolished by the new voluntary unionism law from tomorrow, were in the best interests of workers. Preference clauses would mean 100 per cent union membership. Mr Cameron said the union would take whatever measures were necessary to work towards the re-introduction of preference for union members. He did not know how the union would deal with the new law. The branch had not voted for a closed shop “at this stage.”

A closed shop is a work place where union members will not work alongside nonunion members. Most so-called “blue-col-lar” unions with membership in the manual trades

have decided to run closed shops, although the methods by which the policy will be enforced vary from union to union. Some white-collar unions have also voted to have closed shops. Other unions, such as the Canterbury Clothing Workers Union, have not yet formulated a policy, while unions such as the Insurance Workers, and Cleaners and Caretakers have considered the issue, but decided against adopting any policy. Among the unions which have declared their intention to have closed shops are the Engineers Labourers, Footwear Workers, Waterside Workers, Seamen, Addington branch of the Railway Tradesmen’s Association, hotel workers within the Canterbury Hotel, Restaurant, Hospitals and Related Trades Union, Journalists, and Stores Workers.