Bank officers vote to strike

Press, 26 February 1987, Page 1

Bank officers vote to strike

PA Wellington Trading bank workers appear set to support a national strike from March 9 in protest at the breakdown of award talks.

Bank employees who had attended stop-work meetings so far this week voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action to support the union’s 12.5 per cent wage claim and a $2O a week industry allowance, said the Bank Officers’ Union assistant general secretary, Mr Paul Goulter, yesterday. Award negotiations collapsed after the union rejected an employers’ offer of a 7.5 per cent rise.

Mr Goulter said the union would confirm industrial action after the remainder of union members’ votes • were known, probably early next week.

Bank employees in Auckland, South Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Lower Hutt, Dunedin and Invercargill have so far voted to strike with union members in other centres to vote today or tomorrow. Any industrial action is likely to include employees from the Well-ington-based Databank computer centre, the trading banks’ nerve centre who also voted to strike.

Strike action by workers in late 1985 closed some banks in provincial areas for up to nine days, and Auckland and Wellington banks for nearly a week.

The Bankers* Association industrial manager, Mr Drew Paterson, said employers were waiting for a clearer picture before they knew what sort of impact industrial action was likely to have. However, any action by Databank staff could have a “significant impact” on the banking industry.

He said that he was disappointed at the result of voting so far. “The results are disappointing, but the way the union put the issue to its members, hardly surprising, ” Mr Paterson said. “Our offer of 7.5 per cent stands, of course. After two full days of negotiations, it was not made lightly,” Mr Paterson said.