Unions battle in court over name change

Press, 6 April 1989, Page 6

Unions battle in court over name change

PA Wellington What’s in a name? Quite a lot if the fuss over the decision of the .Carpenters’ Union to change its name to the Building Workers’ Union is anything to go by. In October, 1987, the registrar of unions approved the change but that upset the Labourers’ Union which argued the chippies were not the only building workers in New Zealand so they should not command the allexclusive title. The labourers felt so strongly that they took their objections to the Labour Court.

In June last year, Judge Williamson sided with the labourers. If a union name was to be descriptive, it was desirable it be substantially accurate, something building workers was not since it included a large group of workers, namely builders’ labourers, who belonged to a different union.

The Judge came up with his own solution.

He suggested the Build-

ing Tradespersons’ Union would be a more apt description of the chippies.

He was prepared to allow his suggestion to be registered, but he deferred making such a directive to allow the parties the opportunity to consider an alternative.

The carpenters were not happy with his choice, opting instead for the shorter title, Building Trades Union, and applied again for registration. The labourers did not object, but four other unions did.

Appeals were lodged by unions of painters and decorators, electrical workers, plumbers and gasfitters and the New Zealand (with exceptions) shipwrights and boatbuilders, moulders, coachworkers, boilermakers, pulp and paper workers and the optical technicians. This week everyone was back in the Labour Court after an in-cham-bers hearing could not resolve the issue. The parties are now waiting on a decision from Judge Castle.