Fed. Farmers offers legal help to farm workers

Press, 15 April 1988, Page 6

Fed. Farmers offers legal help to farm workers

reueraieu farmers nas offered its legal services to farm, workers dissatisfied with the way the Workers’ Union ban a series | of ballots I which resulted in union membership becoming compulsory. ] I But at the same time Federated Farmers’ acting president,! MrhOwen Jennings,) concedes that workers would be better off with ( stronger I union representation. j "We ar|e happy io have their interests looked after by. someone,” he said. I I. • The possibility 6f legal action to challenlge the result of) the ballots, has been i abandoned the advice i of . Federated

Farmers] solicitor, but action could still be taken by workers j affected ( by I the compulsory membership vote. | I > (I. ji Federated ( Farmers; raised q protest against) the ballots earlier this' week, saying they had been poorly advertised'and that the' 148 workers: who voted were not rep're-!]. sentative of farm workers.) views. '('■(! |) || Mr Jennings said) workers from (Auckland) and Hawke’s Bay had lap-! proached Federated Farmers wanting to kriow how tq challenge ? the result, but he was .’not expecting a I flood of (Concern. £i ( j I ! i| I The whole issue was likely to be regarded | by I I I • i

farm workers as a “nonevent.” He believed the poor response to the ballots was a measure of workers’ disinterest in union coverage. | Federated Farmers had tried in the past through the old Farm Workers’ Association to encourage workers to strengthen their negotiating power, but without success. 11 Mr Jennings doubted whether the Workers’ Union would overcome the lack of interest and itinerant work habits of farm workers and accurately represent their interests. He.did not dispute allegations by the Workers’ Union that breaches of

the farm workers’ award were common, saying Federated Farmers had trouble Educating farmers about their requirements to keep accurate wage books and comply with award provisions. I However, he denied the allegation that Federated Farmers had obstructed the ballots. Farmers had been told to encourage their workers to vote, and to supply lists of workers for the ballot organisers. Although legal advice had been offered to disaffected j farm workers, Federated Farmers did not intend trying to sway their oplinion on the compulsory unionism issue, Mr Jennings said. *