Stoppages continue for engineers, storemen

Press, 14 October 1986, Page 5

Stoppages continue for engineers, storemen

Stores and engineering workers in Christchurch are continuing their campaign of industrial action over the breakdown of the metal trades and general stores awards.

About 60 delegates of the Canterbury Stores, Packing and Warehouse Workers’ Union met yesterday and decided to continue the campaign of site-by-site action begun last week.

The union’s secretary, Mr Paul Piesse, said that the delegates had found the meeting useful for the interchange of ideas on the worth of various forms of action. That ac-

tion would continue indefinitely. f

Mr Piesse said that any employers ’ willing to publicly concede that the eemployers’ offer of a 5 per cent wage increase was inadequate would be likely to receive favourable treatment during the campaign of industrial action.

Two employers had indicated that the 5 per cent figure was “miserable” but were not prepared to make their views public for fear of being made pariahs, but the union would continue to encourage what he called the moderates and resist

the militant employers. “The offer has been stage-managed by the Employers’ Federation. Most of the moderate employers had not taken part in the decision-making of their own union,” said Mr Piesse.

Fourteen engineering factories or workshops in Christchurch have been affected since Friday by one or two-day stoppages by members of the Canterbury branch of the Engineers’ Union. The branch secretary, Mr Bob Todd, said that about 930 workers were involved.