Unions band together

Press, 21 November 1986, Page 9

Unions band together

Unions in Christchurch will start banding together for industrial action, says the president of the Canterbury Trades Council, Mr Lew Burns.

Clerical workers, shop employees, and cafeteria staff at the D.I.C. department store are taking their lunch hours from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., instead of rostered times, to protest against the breakdown in award talks.

Mr Burns said that, as far as he knew, this was the first time that three unions had banded together in industrial action in Christchurch. It would not be the last time.

"Instead of unions going at things on their own they are going to work together to get to the

employers this year,” he said. “It will be different tactics.”He did not know how many people were involved in the action.

D.l.C.’s manager, Mr Harvey Bray, said there were about 159 workers in the three unions at D.I.C.

He said the action started yesterday, but did not know how many staff took part.

“We were too busy to count”

The shop remained open and staff coped well, with little inconvenience to the public, said Mr Bray.

“I don’t think the percentage of people who went out yesterday was as great as one would have expected,” he said.

D.I.C. would continue to stay open for the week that the lunch-hour action was on.