Rolling strikes planned for poultry industry

Press, 19 May 1984, Page 9

Rolling strikes planned for poultry industry

Poultry processors throughout New Zealand will begin a campaign of rolling stoppages on Monday.

the stoppages were to seek a return to free bargaining on wages and conditions, said the general secretary of the United Food and Chemical Workers’ Union, Mr Garth Fraser, in Wellington last evening. The first strike would be at the Tegel Poultry Company’s processing plant at Manurewa. They would continue for an “indefinite

period,” until employers were willing to negotiate on the points the union wanted discussed, he said. Christchurch poultry industries may be affected next week, but it was up to the union’s area secretaries to decide when stoppages would occur, he said. Mr Andy Lea, of the union’s Canterbury branch, said there were about 12 poultry firms in Canterbury but he would not say when any would be affected as this would give employers warning. The union wanted a 12.3

per cent wage increase on top of the $8 wage order granted recently, and negotiations on conditions, Mr Fraser said.

It had notified employers of these demands several weeks ago. Their refusal to negotiate had led to the direct action.

The employers had suggested a joint approach to the Employers’ Federation and the Government to get long-term wage negotiations started again. However, such a suggestion was “pie in the sky," Mr Fraser said.