Industrial action to spread

Press, 19 February 1986, Page 9

Industrial action to spread

Industrial action by food-catering employees will spread today to include catering firms such as Huntsbury House. Huntsbury House provides catering staff for functions at the Old Orchard in Port Hills Road, and daily catering for the public in the kiosk in the Botanic Gardens and at the Queen Elizabeth II Park.

The secretary of the Canterbury Hotel

Workers’ Union, Mr Martin Moodie, said last evening that catering staff would strike today and tomorrow in support of award claims.

By last evening workers in 35 establishments, mainly industrial cafeterias, were taking or had taken industrial action since the campaign began on Monday. Mr Moodie said that next week there would be a two-day strike by all the

Christchurch members whose employment was covered by the tearooms, restaurant, and cafeteria award.

He alleged that some employers were offering to pay staff the increase that had been the last offer of the employers nationally before the award talks broke down last week.

The offer was an attempt to placate staff, but they were aware of what

was a “cheap stunt,” he said. The union’s claim for an increase to bring the basic wage to $6 an hour was not an exorbitant claim, said Mr Moodie.

By yesterday 10 Christchurch firms had agreed to pay the union’s claim and were exempt from industrial action. A list of such employers would be published in newspaper advertisements on Friday, he said.