In brief

Press, 9 December 1988, Page 3

In brief

Union chief loses job PA Auckland The Auckland Harbour Workers’ Union president, Mr Jim Baxter, has been made redundant from his own union because it no longer has enough members to pay his wages. The harbour workers were hard hit by the port reform legislation, which transferred the portrelated activities of harbour boards to port companies. As part of the restructuring, the harbour workers’ union in Auckland had its membership cut from 820 to 527. Mr Baxter said union members had to come up with an extra $5 a week in union fees to keep him on as a paid president and a decision was made to make the job an honorary one. The union will continue to keep a paid secretary-treasurer.—PA. Fire casualties Forty textile workers lost their jobs Wednesday as a result of a fire that destroyed the Soma company’s Hastings factory a fortnight ago. Soma’s managing director, Mr Harold Trigg said yesterday that the firm regretted the lay-offs but it was not feasible to maintain the same staffing levels as before the fire.- PA.