Federation officials unhappy with RM.

Press, 30 August 1986, Page 6

Federation officials unhappy with RM.

PA Hamilton Northern Pulp and Paper Federation officials say they are sickened that the Prime Minister Mr Lange is so ill-informed about the reasons for the six-week Tasman Pulp and Paper mill dispute.

The federation’s assistant secretary, Mr Harold Appleton, said he found it hard to believe comments by Mr Lange suggesting the dispute was over the hiring of a woman at the plant. “It sickens me a Prime Minister can know so little and be so ill-informed,” he said.

The federation was frustrated it did not have resources to match a “propaganda campaign” by Tasman giving its view of the dispute to “the masses," he said.

Mr Appleton said the Minister of Labour Mr Rodger, was refusing to speak with the federation. “We have tried several times but we cannot get past his secretary. Obviously we have not stopped trying,” he said. Mr Appleton said the

dispute — which threatens the future of the mill and Kawerau — was not over the appointment of a woman to a production job, as suggested by Mr Lange.

“The initial strike was over the suspension of a union delegate. The 630 pulp and paper workers at Kawerau wanted to return now to work and were prepared to discuss any conditions which affect them,” he said.

“It is very frustrating. We can prove our case for not signing these demands legally, through mediation but the company will not accept mediation because it knows it cannot win by legal means. They are putting a lot of money into propaganda for the masses,” Mr Appleton said.

"Tasman likes to give the impression that the federation will not accept new technology. That is wrong. There is not way we can stop new technology coming in. All we can do is try to ensure that the people who lose their jobs have some

where to go to. “Tasman is trying to reduce the workforce and have other workers do extra work,” Mr Appleton said.

Mr Appleton answered company assertions of the five other demands for an end to the lockout

® Restrictions on stopworks: The,company had tried unsuccessfully three times to impose the restrictions by legal means, now it was trying to force the federation into complying.

® The demand that the work agreement stand for three years was an attempt to take away union rights.

• The demand for workers to provide on the job training was negotiable.

® The demand for the federation to sign the company redundancy plan seemed strange considering the company had said there would be no forced redundancies. “The other demand is self-explanatory: the company wants us to lose 91 jobs with no negotiation,” said Mr Appleton.