Printers vote against strike

Press, 20 April 1979, Page 2

Printers vote against strike

Commercial printers throughout New Zealand have voted clearly against taking strike action from midnight tonight. Ballot papers from the vote are sorted by the national returning officer for the Printing Trades Union, Mr C. Whall (right) and Mr t>. E. Le Fevre, a scrutineer. More than 6000 printers under the commercial printers’ award were asked in the postal ballot if they wanted to strike in support of a claim for a $6 a week industry allowance. Mr Whall said that there was a “ciear majority” against strike action, and that the members would therefore remain at work. The figures are not yet available. The president of the Printing Industries Association of Canterbury (Mr M. R. Leahy) said he was pleased about the result. He hoped the issue of the industry allowance would still go to the Arbitration Court, as offered by the employers. The Printing Trades Union had earlier accepted this on condition that backdating be granted to December; but when the employers declined to grant the backdating, the union withdrew its offer of accepting arbitration on the allowance, Mr Leahy said.