Electricorp workers likely to strike

Press, 7 October 1987, Page 8

Electricorp workers likely to strike

Industrial reporter Electricorpwbrterrla Canterbury wereUkelyto give notice of industrial action.in: ' W days, gionalsecretary,Mr John/ McKenzie, last evening; The hundreds of. requests received byElectricorp management for voluntary severance were an lndictxnent of the new corporation, he said. , “They have applied because they lack confidence in the new company,” Mr McKenzie said. Workers felt they had no alternative to;.voluntary severance because the.; company was manding that workers reapply for their own jobs to register, an interest in working for the new company. ' . “But thirdoesnot guarantee a job, ft just shows you are interested.” Electricorp had declared 800 staff surplus not because the jobs were not there but because -Electricorp, which grew out of the Electricity Division of . the Ministry of

■"V Energy, ‘intended to contScrthe work out, Mr ; contracting out of work," he said | Electricorp would receive notices of industrial actton in the next few days. Mr McKenzie said workers were bewildered because they bad only until Friday to decide whether they wanted to apply.'for a job' within Electricorp, deployment, or take other/; offered options. ‘ ..But even the jobs workers reapplied / /or could not be guaranteed, and further job cuts were predicted in the next six months. ' During February and ■ March this year reorganisation had meant that 300 workers id the region had ..left and now 208 more jobs were being chopped. Electricorp’s corporate relations manager, Dr Judith Aitken, said many jobs in the company had

changsdtesome way with | corporatiaaiton attd those ZSSTPS.S'g “new" job they would be surplus to requlreutepts and could seek > either transfer, redeploymeot,or other options. , Workers should not feel rushed into .making decisions about future employment with. Electricorp, she said. The companywanted to avoid in- • dustrial action; : because Would 'not help the • tmucc tne stress tuready imposed by the changed Reducing staff levels £ was hoped to be voluntary -and she conflftned thht ' the company might buy services if that was “advantageous” for the <P«nyElectricorp yesterday had released information on the changes to workers explaining their options, but if there were misunderstandings they should be reported to the local management