Drivers blamed for mill award struggle

Press, 18 December 1986, Page 19

Drivers blamed for mill award struggle

PA Wellington The "shockingly low” drivers’ award settlement of 6 per cent was largely to blame for an expected fall in living standards, said the Woollen Mill Workers’ Union national secretary, Mr Paddy O’Flanagan. Timing of the drivers’ settlement, soon after the metal trades and northern stores' award talks broke down over modified claims of about 11.5 per cent, confirmed a prediction by the Minister of Finance, Mr Douglas, of a 3.5 per cent to 4 per cent drop in the real value of workers’ wages this year. His comments followed the breakdown in the woollen mill workers’ award talks after employers refused to negotiate a higher pay rate for North Island members and a shorter-term award for South Island members proposed by the union in

an effort to realign the award. When talks broke down, employers increased their initial offer to a flat 7 per cent increase and offered to withdraw all counterclaims if the union did likewise. The union seeks an 8.46 per cent pay rise for North Island workers and said it was prepared to accept 7 per cent for those in the South Island if their award term was 10 months only. “We are not proud at having to accept 7 per cent for South Island workers because it is a 4 per cent reduction in wages in real terms ... we’ve been forced there by a series of circum- ' stances beyond our control that go right back to the drivers’ settlements,” Mr O’Flanagan said. “The drivers settled shockingly low and we are suffering because of that.” Mr Flanagan was also

critical of the trade union movement’s focus on fighting this year for retention of the national award system. “As a union movement we have lost a lot of weight simply by concentrating. the old wages campaign round the award concept which either this or the National Government is going to take away from us anyway in the next two years,” he said.