Furniture workers face lay offs

Press, 30 August 1985, Page 3

Furniture workers face lay offs

Some Canterbury furniture manufacturers may lay off staff next week unless a dispute which has stopped the production of mediumdensity fibreboard is resolved.

The president of the Furniture Manufacturers’ Federation, Mr Wayne Richardson, said that while he was optimistic that the dispute at the Canterbury Timber Products factory could be settled by early next week, work was beginning to run out in furniture factories.

“If the plant does not open, people will lose their jobs,” he said. Although some firms were using alternative products, employing staff to do maintenance work or asking them to take holidays, layoffs were inevitable, said Mr Richardson.

“As the hours tick by the situation gets progressively

worse.” Some manufacturers were begging and borrowing Customboard to avoid laying staff off, he said. One manufacturer, Howard Smith, Ltd, had expected to have to lay off staff today but a shipment of Customboard from Auckland meant another week’s work for staff.

The firm’s manager, Mr Howard Smith, said if there were no more supplies early next week staff would be laid off. Some other firms which are not as dependent on Customboard for furniture production are not experiencing immediate difficulties.

Plans by a joinery firm to import a similar product from Australia to offset the shortage may have foundered. The managing director of Hampton Studios, Mr Tony Hampton, said he was

not optimistic about the chance of arranging such a shipment. Although the shortage of Customboard had caused some problems no staff • would be laid off, he said. The manager of Cresswell Joinery said the problem was very serious and export orders could suffer because of the shortage.

However, no staff would be laid off, he said. Production of Customboard stopped at Canterbury Timber Products on August 17 when staff were locked out after a two-week strike by electricians over a pay agreement.

The electricians went on strike in support of their claims, which are based on relativity with electrical workers employed by the North Canterbury Electric Power Board.