Production stops in engineering plants

Press, 11 October 1986, Page 9

Production stops in engineering plants

Production stopped in several Canterbury engineering factories yesterday as members of the Engineers’ Union began a campaign over the breakdown in the key metal trades award. By the end of yesterday 850 workers in 10 establishments had indicated to the union that they would strike either yesterday, yesterday and Monday, or on Monday and Tuesday, said the branch secretary, Mr Bob Todd. More meetings would be held in other places next week. Mr Todd said that there were also two sites where workers had imposed bans on overtime and in five others the workers had said they supported the union’s stance but were not in a position to take industrial action.

Stores workers in Canterbury are also taking industrial action. Delegates will meet on Monday to review the campaign of the Canterbury Stores, Packing and Warehouse Workers’ Union. The action is in protest against the employers’ offer of 5 per cent in the general stores award. The director of the Canterbury Employers’ Association, Mr Colin Mclnnes, said that the stores and engineering workers involved in industrial activity should recognise that they were being used as pawns in a Federation of Labour political game. “The politial jockeying between different trade union factions makes a joke of the whole wage round,” he said. “Developments to date

do nothing but highlight an urgent need to replace the national award system with workplace and industry bargaining and give workers the right who will bargain on their behalf,” said Mr Mclnnes. Union reaction to the consumers’ price index was “nothing but a red herring” because the latest figures had been predicted months ago, he said.

“The simple fact is that many local employers are feeling the pinch. Their survival will continue to provide much needed jobs in the area. Low wage settlements are an essential feature of survival,” said Mr Mclnnes.

“Reports of possible industrial action among clerical workers and engine drivers is indicative

of the need for radical change,” said Mr Mclnnes. “These unions’ claims have not been withdrawn, therefore industrial action is unlawful. Unions and their members should not be allowed to flout the law with impunity.” The executive of the Canterbury Clerical Workers' Union will meet in Christchurch on October 17 to plan a strategy in response to the breakdown this week of the general clerical award. The union’s secretary, Mr Leon Morel, said that a meeting of all the union’s 270 delegates would be held also on October 17 and if they agreed there would be a meeting of the union’s 9000 members, probably on October 24.