Canneries storemen threaten ban

Press, 5 March 1987, Page 8

Canneries storemen threaten ban

Storemen employed by Wattie Canneries at Hornby are threatening a load-out ban over a number of award claims. The Storeworkers, Packers and Warehouse Workers’ Union had threatened the ban unless the company agreed by Monday evening to discuss the claims, said the company’s industrial relations manager, Mr Ivan Poole. However, there was no case to answer, he said.

The union had lodged “a raft” of 17 claims for improved allowances, after agreeing not to make further claims at the last award round, he said.

That agreement was in a memorandum to the award signed on December 13, said Mr Poole. The memorandum said, in effect, that aboveaward pay rates, where paid, would be increased 7 per cent — the same increase as the award minimum. Provided that

was done, the union would not seek further adjustments during the term of the award. Wattie Canneries' had an above-award house agreement with its storemen, and had increased all pay rates 7 per cent immediately the agreement was made, said Mr Poole. “We have kept our side of the bargain,” he said. A Distribution Workers’ Union organiser, Mr Kevin Cogle, disputed this interpretation of the award, saying the noclaim agreement related only to wages. Storemen had been seeking discussions with Watties management for five to six weeks but had met only with a “negative attitude,” Mr Cogle said.

Meal and wet weather allowances were among the claims but not all of them cost money, such as a claim for five days notice of shift changes.

“We don’t believe we should be put in this position when all our request is that they get around the table and discuss the agreement,” said Mr Cogle.

Negotiations were being made with the Northern Districts Distribution Union for storemen at Watties’ three main North Island plants to take action in sympathy. Mr Poole said stop-work meetings by storemen at other Watties’ plants had not resulted in the threatened ban.

The Hornby cannery employed about 24 storemen, said Mr Poole.

The dispute was a separate issue from the planned closing of the firm’s Timaru plant, where no storemen are employed.

Boilermen at both plants held a 24-hour strike on Tuesday in protest against' the planned Tjmaru closing. They returned to work yesterday, said Mr Poole.