No advance in settling bus dispute

Press, 6 December 1985, Page 2

No advance in settling bus dispute

Urban buses in Christchurch, Wellington, Dunedin, Invercargill, and New Plymouth will be off the streets again today. In Christchurch the buses have been out of service since Monday because of a dispute over a claim by the Tramway Workers’ Union for an industry allowance. Christchurch Transport Board drivers stopped work for 24 hours on Tuesday which provoked a letter from the board’s general manager, Mr Max Taylor, advising that there would be no more work until a clear assurance of normal work was given by the union. The employers’ advocate, Mr Graeme Small, said yes-

terday that there had been meetings of employer representatives ana a Labour Department official had been helping to try to find a solution to the dispute, but there had been no further advance in settling it. Members of the Christchurch branch of the Tramway Workers’ Union marched round Cathedral Square about midday yesterday carrying placards and distributing leaflets to the public. Earlier, about 60 gathered outside the office of the Christchurch Transport Board in the Square and urged passing motorists to sound their car horns if they supported the union.