Forestry promises ‘broken’

Press, 26 February 1987, Page 23

Forestry promises ‘broken’

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

The Government has been accused of failing to honour its promise not to make forestry wage workers compulsorily redundant.

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bolger, made the accusation while releasing a telex from the Assistant Conservator of Forests (Administration) at Palmerston North, Mr Brian O’Brien.

He declined to say how he had acquired a copy of Mr O’Brien’s telex other than to say it had ‘‘fallen off the back of a truck.” Mr O’Brien said it was an advance notice only, to allow the initiation of action to wind up wages,

accounts, and stores activities. “The intention is to shut down all wage-worker operations (in the Forest Service) on March 25,” he said. “Wage-wdrkers will Clear their stores in the morning and be paid their wages in the afternoon.” These, wages would include the time worked up to the end of the normal pay period as normal, plus anticipated hours up to and including March 31.

“Those wage-workers who are not essential are to be sent home on March 25 and will not be required to return to work,” Mr O’Brien said. The rest of the telex explained the details of the procedures he outlined.

Mr Bolger said it was clear from the telex that the Government had broken the undertakings given to Parliament

' It also showed that the Prime - Minister, Mr Lange, did not intend to honour the promise he had given in front of television cameras when speaking to the wife of a Forest Service wageworker in Nelson last year.

“This is all because the Government has lost interest in forestry and is allowing the whole industry to run down,” Mr Bolger said. There were about 3000 Forest Service wageworkers involved in the broken undertaking. It had been clear for some time that not all of them

were going to be offered work in the new corporations. Now it was clear that a high proportion of them, 50 per cent or more, were not going to be offered work.

Mr Bolger said the telex confirmed what had been developing and the wageworkers themselves would not be surprised. They had only placed limited credence on the Prime Minister’s promise. “This is the expected wind-down of the whole forestry industry which is a result of the Government’s new taxation regime for forestry,” Mr Bolger said. The Minister of Forests, Mr Wetere, said the telex was not incompatible with the Prime Minister’s promise.

All Forest Service wage-workers would have the choice of voluntary severence or jobs in the new State corporations, he said.

Mr Wetere confirmed that the pledge given by the Prime Minister would be met in the manner made.