Strike ends in sackings

Press, 7 April 1979, Page 6

Strike ends in sackings

PA Whangarei The 20 drivers of the Whangarei city bus fleet were dismissed yesterday for striking. The Northern Bus Company, which runs the fleet for the Whangarei City Council, today will close its doors for the first time. The men, who began a 24hour strike yesterday were warned of dismissal by the manager of the company (Mr G. Wilkinson) on Thursday evening but they decided to go ahead, and planned to picket the com-1 pany’s office and garage from' today. The council’s representa-l

tive on the company's board of directors (Mr P. Madden) said on Wednesday that he would recommend that the council take court action against the men for a breach of the Industrial Relations Tasman Pulp and Paper Company production workers at Kawerau will strike again next week over the same wage relativity row that closed the company for seven weeks a year ago. Northern Pulp and Paper Union workers will hold a 24-hour strike from midnight, on Thursday. They will follow that with staggered strikes the next week. A full-scale strike that

: could close the Kawerau i paper mills appears likely to Istarr at any time. ; About 50 coalminers in the open-cast state mines at ‘Huntly walked off the job yesterday without explanation; rubbish collectors ,in Auckland .were being threatened with replacement by contractors; and storemen at a Toyota assembly plant in Thames continued a strike which had closed the assem-; bly lines for three days. A strike at the sheetmetal; plant of Alex Harvey In-1 dustries in Auckland con-| tinued, but the Engineers’ Union is due to meet the company on Monday.