Army used in last strike

Press, 12 October 1985, Page 8

Army used in last strike

Army and Air Force firefighters were called in when Christchurch firemen last went on strike, in January, 1975. The strike ended after a tense, 34 hours, which included 19 fire calls and Government threats to de register the Christchurch Fire Brigade Union. It was the first strike held by metropolitan firemen. They began limited action during Christmas, 1974, in a bid to force a resolution of a dispute involving allowances. Negotiations with the now-defunct Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Board broke down and at 8 a.m. on January 9, 1975, the 206 firemen in Christchurch went on strike. Soon after, military firefighters were sent to Christchurch and were put on standby. They received 11

calls the first day. The then secretary of the Federation of Labour, Mr Jim Knox, came to Christchurch to talk to local union officials. After a Cabinet meeting, the then Minister of Labour, hMr Arthur Faulkner, delayed the deadline for deregistration. , On the evening of January 10, 34 hours after the strike began, the firemen walked off the picket and returned to work. During their absence the military fire-fighters attended 19 calls, none of which caused any serious problems. ?.» Reports in “The Press” at the time said that F.O.L. intervention had ended the strike, although the dispute continued. It took 11 days before the union and Fire Board representatives reached an agreement; which included a pay rise for firemen.