F.O.L. seeks inquiry into refinery project

Press, 13 June 1984, Page 8

F.O.L. seeks inquiry into refinery project

PA Wellington The Federation of Labour executive has called for an independent public inquiry into all aspects of the Marsden Point refinery expansion project. The F.O.L. has also undertaken to ensure an immediate return to work.

The return to work proposal was one of five put to the Acting Minister of Labour, Mr Thomson, yesterday afternoon in an attempt to halt the Refinery Expansion Project Disputes Bill.

The F.O.L. executive undertook to ensure that all affiliates involved in the dispute would abide by the decisions of the F.0.L., which has taken over the dispute. As a consequence there was no need for the Government to proceed further with the legislation, the

executive said in a statement made public last evening. The other proposals were: ® That a compulsory confernce be established to investigate all aspects of industrial relations problems on the site. ® That the F.O.L. on behalf of the unions undertake to ensure that the existing site agreements will be recognised and honoured by all parties in particular disputes procedures.

0 That all bans and restrictions be lifted forthwith. ® That there be no victimisation or restrictions placed on any workers on the site.

The executive said it endorsed the decision of last Friday’s mass meeting in Whangarei even though it and the officials and delegates who recommended acceptance recognised the

“justified repugnance” felt by union members to the company demands. “The demand for individual worker recognition of employers’ demands has no legal precedent,” the statement said.

It was intended to provoke workers and flagrantly “derecognised” legal coverage and rights of unions.

“Serious questions” are also raised about the history of the project, including negotiation of the project contract.

“We are concerned that the unions and the workforce are being made political scapegoats for major cost overruns, which means ‘ripping off the New Zealand public,” the statement said.

“Accordingly we call for an independent public inquiry into all aspects of this project.”

The statement said the special legislation would not help in any way to resolve industrial relations problems on the site.

“It is regrettable that the Government and the employer have seen fit to ignore the repeated attempts to have this question dealt with in a proper way by recourse to established procedures” (the site agreement and the Industrial Relations Act). The F.O.L.’s secretary, Mr K. G. Douglas, said the federation was taking over the dispute in accordance with its constitution. The F.O.L. is usually asked to take over a dispute by one or more of the affiliates involved in it, but it does have the power to step in if it feels the impact of a dispute goes well beyond the unions immediately involved.