‘Workers Not Deserted’

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31109, 12 July 1966, Page 1

‘Workers Not Deserted’

The underground powerhouse workers at West Arm, who had been on strike for a week, were not left to “sweat it out by themselves,” said the secretary of the Canterbury-Otago-Southland General Labourers’ Union (Mr L. B. Swan) in Christchurch yesterday.

He is also a member of the negotiating committee of the West Arm Combined Unions Association that covers the powerhouse contract.

The negotiating committee was ready to go to West Arm if called in by the job committee, he said. Mr Swan said that union business had brought him to Christchurch. He was in touch with Mr W. C. McDonnell, secretary of the Otago Trades Council and another member of the negotiating committee, every day. Mr Swan said that provocation by the project management and the police had contributed to the West Arm workers' not returning to work.

Mr Swan said the police had directed a publican not to serve liquor to West Arm workers and had attempted to search the bags of West Arm workers at Supply Bay before they were to return to camp on the boat;

Mr Swan said that company decisions such as stopping morning tea and afternoon tea at West Arm camp while the strike was on were not helping. Nor was cutting off the camp cinema for part of last week. The cinema was restored last Friday. A carpenter at West Arm, Mr S. Ritchie, who is also president of the Combined Unions Association, yesterday said that West Arm workers were being depicted as “hoboes and rabble.” “There is no drunken rabble here. The lads are trying to do hard work. There is no staggering around the camp,” he said.

Mr Ritchie said that the main complaint was that the management kept breaking an agreement on such matters as height money and gumboot money. Attempts to search workers returning to camp for booze were resented.

The general secretary of the. New Zealand Workers’ Union (Mr W. A. Dempster) said in Christchurch that the disnute had not been referred to him. “Since the start of the strike a week ago at the underground powerhouse, the majority of our members on the job have terminated their employment and left the job,” said Mr Dempster.

Karori Seat—A Wellington journalist, Mr S. L. Dickson, aged 26, has been chosen as Social Credit candidate for Karori in this year’s general election.—(P.A.)