Dunedin painters in pay strike

Press, 24 February 1986, Page 18

Dunedin painters in pay strike

PA ■ Dunedin Painters and glaziers in Dunedin and some other centres began strike action on Friday over their disputed award. In Dunedin, painters and glaziers employed by contractors voted by secret ballot to strike until employers agreed to enter into “constructive” discussion to rectify an anomaly in their award. The branch secretary of the Otago-Southland Carpenters’ and Related Trades Union, Mr R. H. Anderson, said the painters and glaziers were covered by the Building Trades Award as were carpenters, joiners, joiners machinists, bricklayers, plasterers, and roofers. When the award was settled last November an extra $1 an hour industry allowance was written in, but the Master Painters Federation refused to be

a party to that payment, he said.

Now painters and glaziers were effectively receiving $1 an hour less than the other tradesmen and workers covered by the award.

“To date,the employer group has said they will discuss the problem with the union but they will not under any circumstances agree to the payment being made to their employees," Mr Anderson said.

The secretary of the Christchurch branch of the Painters’ Union, Mr Dave (TConnell, said that Christchurch painters took action over the issue before Christmas and still were not happy. However, painters had not had to accept shift work as -builders’ labourers and carpenters did. The matter would probably be raised at the next meeting of the branch executive, he said.