Union adopts strategy for act

Press, 15 July 1987, Page 10

Union adopts strategy for act

PA Wellington The Engineers Union, New Zealand’s largest private sector union, is adopting a two-pronged approach to the Labour Relations Act due to take effect from August 1, the "Dominion” reports. It has devised a wage bargaining strategy for this year’s award round intended to strengthen the national award system against expected attacks by employer groups, and it has instigated a thorough overhaul of its internal structure to ensure its 55,000 members are well-placed to withstand the effects of labour market reforms. The moves have been prompted by the revamping of industrial laws which introduce a serious challenge to the national award system, union contestability, forced amalgamation of unions with fewer than 1000 members, and the userpays concept, the newspaper said. They come at a time when New Zealand is preparing for a General Election, preparations are under way for the 1987 wage round and as the union movement gears up for the merging late this

year of most private and State sector groupings into a New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. The engineers’ union has long been an advocate of the council which will replace the Federation of Labour and Combined State Unions, and the proposed changes within its own organisation are also in anticipation of the new grouping. The changes arise from recently completed organisational and financial management reviews. $ A management consultant took two months to carry out the financial review and presented its findings, along with the union’s own comprehensive 270-page internal report, to the union’s national council recently. A modified 73-page organisational document entitled "Strategies for Change,” is with the printers and will be distributed among union members probably later this month.

Although the details are not yet public, the union’s assistant secretary, Mr Chris Eichbaum, said significant changes were proposed and these would be debated further by the national council when It meets next week.