Canty staff to stay in party?

Press, 16 January 1986, Page 2

Canty staff to stay in party?

Canterbury meat workers’ union members are unlikely to follow Wanganui meat workers who have disaffiliated from the Labour Party because of its live sheep export policy. Wanganui union members voted strongly to sever links with the party earlier this week because of its policy to allow live sheep exports. However, a spokesman for the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Meat Workers’ Union said that no similar action was being taken in Canterbury. Any decisions to disaffiliate would have to be made by the branch’s executive and ratified by a majority of union members. The next executive meeting would be

in March and union members had given no indication of wanting to break with the party, the spokesman said. The secetary of Wanganui’s Imlay Freezing Works sub-branch of the union, Mr Doug Wilson, said that the workers’ vote was very significant for traditionally strong Labour Party supporters.

“Our blokes have had enough—their jobs are on the line,” he said. The secretary of the national union, Mr A. J. Kennedy, said that branches were autonomous and could disaffiliate whenever they wanted to. No other branches were taking similar action at present.