Feltex peace bad for Govt—M.P.

Press, 29 February 1984, Page 8

Feltex peace bad for Govt —M.P.

PA Wellington The Government showed yesterday it had wanted the Feltex voluntary unionism row to worsen for political purposes, said the Labour Party’s spokesman on labour, Mr E. E. Isbey, His assertion came after the Minister of Labour, Mr Bolger, criticised the settlement at the Christchurch factory for being outside the law. Mr Bolger said the Woollen Workers’ Union in Christchurch did not have the authority to allow for the withdrawal of conscientious objectors from the union—a key element in the agreement which broke the strike. (Report, page 2). However, Mr Isbey said it was commendable that the employers, the union, and the worker involved were

able to arrive at a settlement. “The restrained and com-mon-sense Feltex settlement has stymied the Minister of Labour’s plans to provoke open confrontation.” Mr Isbey said the Government’s voluntary unionism law had abolished the provision for conscientious objection. He called for a change to the legislation before industrial problems became widespread. The Minister said there was no capacity within the law for a union to “set itself up as a conscientious appeal authority determining who may or may not belong to a union. That clearly would be in breach of the undue influence provisions of the law.” Mr Bolger also criticised the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Lange, for saying last week that unionists

could send workmates to Coventry if they wanted to resign from the union. Mr Lange said unionists could adopt tactics in the workplace that were not illegal. The Minister said that that was a “disgusting suggestion." Brewery workers at the D.B. South Island brewery at Washdyke will meet this morning to decide whether to continue refusing to work with two workers who have resigned from the Allied Liquor Trades Union. Informal talks were held yesterday between the management and the two men involved to try to find a formula which would end the dispute. The workers went on strike on Monday, refusing to work with the two men, who work in the Associated Bottling Company’s empty bottle depot on the bewery’s premises. The Timaru manager of the Associated Bottlers Company, Mr Murray Tomkinson, said the dispute had put both his company, Dominion Breweries, and its employees in a no-win situation. Workers at the Mount Wellington plant of Comalco Extrusions, Ltd, will meet this afternoon to review their stance after refusing to work with a colleague who resigned from the union. The 160 members of the Engineers’ Union walked out soon after attending a stop-work meeting at 7 a.m. yesterday. It is believed that union officials tried several times to persuade Mr Eddie Brown, a process worker, not to resign. The man has been suspended because there is no work for him. Neither union nor company officials could be reached for comment yesterday.