Clothing workers vote to strike

Press, 27 January 1988, Page 6

Clothing workers vote to strike

Clothing workers have voted to strike on February 15 after a meeting of 1300 workers in Christchurch yesterday.

Christchurch workers voted in favour of stopping work for 24 hours, said the secretary of the Canterbury, Westland, Nelson, and Marlborough Clothing Trades Union, Mr Hugh McCrory.

However, workers in the union’s other areas

have yet to vote before the go-ahead can be given.

They are expected to vote this week and next.

Award talks were adjourned in December. The union is opposing an offer by employers containing a “prohibitive provision” allowing hours of work to be varied in separate agreements. Employers want a 40-

hour week, k worked on five days from 7 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., which can be varied under separate deals.

Employers have offered a 7 per cent wage increase.

The union had offered to drop its claim from 11 per cent to 8.5 per cent, if employers withdrew their proposals on hours of work.