Bank staff to hold meetings

Press, 23 February 1987, Page 1

Bank staff to hold meetings

Trading bank staff will hold stop-work meetings throughout New Zealand this week after the failure of their award talks last Friday. . The Bank Officers’ Union’s assessors would recommennd that staff reject a 7.5, per cent pay offer, said the union’s industrial officer in Christchurch, Ms Maree Sharj land* -

It would be up to the members at each meeting whether they found the offer acceptable and then what action to take in response, she said. The meetings will begin on Wednesday, the Christchurch meeting to be held at the Theatre Royal at 8.30 a.m. on Friday. It is likely to disrupt the normal 9 a.m. opening of some bank branches.

The Timaru meeting will also be held on Friday.

Ms Sharland said that the series of meetings would finish early next week. The decision on whether to accept the pay offer would be made nationally, but any action would be decided regionally,she said; The union seeks a 12.5 per cent pay rise and a $2O a week industry allowance, a claim which the union says takes into account inflation, “which has risen sharply in the wake of GST.” Employers have offered a 7.5 per cent wage increase and agreed to write sick leave and domestic leave provisions into the award.