Strike stops meals-on-wheels

Press, 2 April 1985, Page 8

Strike stops meals-on-wheels

PA Wellington About 200 Lower Hutt elderly and disabled people went without their midday meals-on-wheels yesterday because of a strike by Hospital orderlies at Wellington Hospital. Hutt Hospital kitchen workers met their union industrial officer in the street in the morning after the hospital refused to allow a meeting to discuss the Wellington Hospital orderlies’ strike on hospital grounds, said the hospital administration general

manager. Mr David Box. Workers were not allowed to hold the stop-work meeting at tbe hospital because the orderlies’ strike was illegal, Mr Box said. Orderlies were among those required by legislation to give 14 days notice of a strike because they were part of a necessary industry. he said. '“Anything pertaining to it (the orderlies' strike) is illegal'’ said Mr Box However, the union saw the refusal of a meeting on hospital grounds as a denial

of freedom of association and freedom of speech, said tbe secretary of the Hotel and Hospi’tal Workers' Union, Mr Peter Cullen. The strike results from tbe sacking of a union delegate 12 days ago after a conflict over arrangements for emergency cover during a stop-work meeting Hutt Hospital kitchen workers yesterday voted to join the'strike unless the sacked delegate was reinstated by today. Mr Cullen said he expected industrial action to increase to a national level

this week if the dispute was not settled. Tbe Minister of Labour. Mr Rodger, had put a proposal towards ending the dispute to both parties, Mr Cullen said. Discussion on tbe terms of a compulsory conference would continue, he said. The union hoped that avenue was successful. The Wellington Hospital Board’s chief executive, Mr John Rennie, said the board had received an invitation to take part in a compulsory conference and had indicated to Mr Rodger its

willingness to do so. He would not comment further on tbe terms of tbe conference. Last week tbe union said it would take part in a conference if the sacked delegate was reinstated first and the conference covered the wider aspects of the full industrial relationship with the hospital The Hospital Board said it would not reinstate tbe sacked delegate unless directed by tbe conference and discussions should be about the specific issue of the sacking.