Chch M.P.s to take up forestry workers’ case

Press, 23 February 1987, Page 2

Chch M.P.s to take up forestry workers’ case

Christchurch members of Parliament will take up the case of forestry workers who still do not know whether they will keep their jobs under the new Forestry Corporation. The corporation is due to begin on April 1, but questions about housing, severance pay, and job security were still to be settled, the members of Parliament were told at a meeting in Christchurch on Friday. Canterbury Trades Council and Combined State Unions officials met the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Caygill, the member of Parliament for Sydenham, Mr Jim Anderton, and the member of Parliament for Yaldhurst, Mrs Margaret Austin, in a two-hour session.

The unions asked that the issues be put to the

Minister of State Services, Mr Rodger, as soon as possible. They were also worried about taxation arrangements for severance pay, a question Mr Caygill agreed to take to the Cabinet, said the Trades Council’s president, Mr Roger Brott

He said the Public Service Association’s Canterbury regional secretary, Mr John McKenzie, had also raised questions about contract employment and the Access job scheme.

The members of Parliament were warned that the scheme could be abused if successful tenderers for contracts also claimed assistance under the Access scheme. It would need to be carefully monitored. Mr Brott said a major part of the discussion was

on union concerns about the Government’s industrial reforms. They were worried the legislation would destroy the national award structure.

The union officials said negotiating regional awards could cause problems. A regional award for heavy engineering in Christchurch would have been likely to be settled at extremely depressed pay rates because of the state of the industry, Mr Brott said.

The Government’s plans for a flexible labour market were likely to be disastrous for some regions, if they caused an outflow of job-seekers, he said.