‘lnferior’ deal

Press, 4 March 1988, Page 2

‘lnferior’ deal

PA ; Auckland A Tirau meat company, Ventec Corporation, is set to make industrial relations history by having its 25 employees removed from award coverage, the “Auckland Star” reports. It has applied to have its house agreement registered under the controversial section 152 of the Labour Relations Act. The application has been set down for hearing in the Labour Court at Auckland on April 12.;

Section 152 of the act has been hotly opposed by unions who see it as a fast track to breaking the national award system. The Auckland-Tomoana Freezing Workers’ Union confirmed ! yesterday it would fight! ventec every step of the Iway. The union’s secretary, Mr Graham Cooke, said the Tirau workers were being used as guinea pigs

by Ventec on behalf of Federated Farmers, the Business Roundtable and the Employers' Federation. The house agreement they had signed was "vastly inferior” !to the wages and conditions they were entitled to under the meat workers’ award. ; Mr Cooke believed prospective workers were required to sign deal as a condition of starting work. ; He said he -visited the one-chain export i slaugh-ter-house on Wednesday and signed up all workers with the union. Mr Cooke said the union was not considering industrial action to - force Ventec to drop its application as there was still room for “reasoned negotiation.”

But he confirmed the union would take all steps to prevent Ventec workers

being removed from award coverage. Ventec began killing at Tirau on January 5 and is slaughtering 650 lambs a day for .export,; Its section 1;52 applica- j tion was only!the second • to be filed with the court i since the new act became ; effective. The; first — by ; Otaki Abattoirs — was! withdrawn after members; of the Meat Workers’! Union’s West Coast (North ! Island) branch mounted a! series of pickets and; strikes. Ventec's managing; director, Mr Graeme Col-; quhoun, declined to com-1 ment yesterday on the; looming showdown. "Any publicity at this! stage would not be in our! interests,” he said. "The company has a' firm 'no comment’ rule on! all facets of our opera-' tion."