Injunction blocks settlement?

Press, 25 May 1984, Page 4

Injunction blocks settlement?

P A Auckland A High Court injunction had made it impossible for the Labourers’ Union to attempt to resolve the Marsden Point dispute, the union asserted yesterday. The union's assistant secretary, Mr Ray Bianchi, said that because of the injunction “anything we might say could be interpreted as being coercion and incitement.”

He was referring to an interim injunction granted by Mr Justice Hillyer last month against the union and himself.

Seven scaffolders sought the injunction to allow them

to go back to work on the site. It forbade agents or servants of the union, of which the scaffolders are members, from refusing to work with the seven. His Honour said he expected all members of the union who respected the rule of law to abide by the decision of the Court.

In spite of his ruling, scaffolders and 1000 other members of the union walked off the job when the seven returned to the site on April 17.

Mr Bianchi said that last month’s injunction had made it impossible for the union to attempt to resolve the dispute.

The union rejected any accusations that it had not abided by the Court’s injunctions. It had not fermented action in relation to the dispute but had only attempted to stand by democratically made decisions by its members, he said.

The union also disputed statements by the member of Parliament for Whangarei, Mr John Banks, that the “dissident” scaffolders were being used to create industrial chaos at Marsden Point and that they were treated like lepers by the union.

Mr Bianchi asked: Why had these men refused an

offer from the union to attend a meeting at Whangarei with the other scaffolders to attempt to resolve the matter?

The general manager of Marsden Refinery Constructors, Mr David Beldotti, had asserted that certain actions taken by the workers and the union were illegal including a ban on Saturday work.

That ban had been implemented after the company refused competent New Zealand workers, who were also active trade unionists, access to the site. Mr Bianchi said the union had been waiting for nearly two years to have that case

heard by the Arbitration Court.

“To date, we are still waiting. We feel that if the union could get cases before the courts as quickly as employers, these situations may not arise.”

The Government yesterday expressed “major concern” that workers were refusing to accept a High Court order.

The Minister of Labour, Mr Bolger, also told reporters that the strike would add to refinery expansion costs “which are going to be covered eventually by additional costs on petrol.”