Kinleith dispute meeting

Press, 9 May 1985, Page 5

Kinleith dispute meeting

PA Wellington Striking pulp and paper workers at N.Z. Forest Products’ Kinleith plant will meet at 10 a.m. today to discuss their five-day-old dispute. The workers went on strike last Saturday after one of their members was suspended as a result of a strike by electrical workers.

The secretary of the union branch, Mr Tony

Allen, told N.Z.P.A. last evening that the strike was in protest against the “increasingly adopted tactic of the company to issue suspensions to pulp and paper workers when in conflict with another union.”

“It appears the company is trying to put pulp and paper workers out of a job in the hope that loss of pay will cause them to pressure other workers in a struggle—either on strike or in suspension—to give up on

their case and settle on the company’s terms.” The electrical workers and Forest Products management have agreed on terms ending their eight-day dispute. The electricians’ disputed industry skills payments will be discussed later this month.

While 950 pulp and paper workers remained on strike, members of the Timberworkers' Union decided to return to work last evening.