Redundancy talks stall, strike likely

Press, 13 May 1987, Page 8

Redundancy talks stall, strike likely

Redundancy talks for 43 staff at Wrightson Dalgety’s Timaru department store have stalled and a strike is expected today. Shop employees, clerical workers, drivers and tea room staff will meet at 9 a.m. today for the strike vote, and union organisers are planning a lunch-time public rally to protest at job losses. Civic leaders and election candidates have been invited to speak at the rally, planned for midday in a Strathallan Street car-park outside the Wrightson Dalgety build-

The unions with members involved in the closing are pressing to have the company match the redundancy agreement for the Wattle’s plant staff at Washdyke, where 120 workers will be laid off in October. That agreement, settled two weeks ago, gives workers six weeks pay for the first two years service, and two weeks pay for every further year’s service. Another six weeks pay is available for job searching. Workers with 15 years service will receive three

weeks extra pay and workers with 20 years service are entitled to four weeks extra pay. The assistant secretary of the Southern Distribution Workers’ Union, Mr Larry Sutherland, of Christchurch, had been acting as spokesman for the unions involved in the Wrightson Dalgety closing. The closing was announced on Friday, and Mr Sutherland said yesterday that a day and a half of talks had ended without agreement. The unions want the company to increase its

redundancy otter, and to pay for unused sick leave in line with the Wattle’s settlement The 43 workers will vote on whether to strike for 24 hours, till another meeting is held. Mr Sutherland said the lowest scale staff would lose several weeks pay under the present redundancy offer, compared to the Wattie’s agreement. He believed a strike could be effective, even though the store was soon to' close. “The company has got stock, and sales it has to carry out,” he said.