Allegation retracted

Press, 25 June 1983, Page 1

Allegation retracted

The allegation that the Canterbury Cleaners’ Union was applying pressure to security guards through other unions was withdrawn yesterday by Mr Bob House. Mr House, the security guard who wrote to the Prime Minister a week ago complaining about being forced into a strike without a right to vote, joined many other security officers in Christchurch yesterday — the day of the strike — at work. At his Hornby workplace yesterday he said that he wished to retract a statement made earlier that his union was putting pressure on him and his supporters to comply, by involving other unions. The secretaries of both the Canterbury, Marlborough and Westland Cleaners, Caretakers, Lift Attendants and Watchmen’s Union and the Canterbury Drivers’ Union, which had

been named by Mr House, denied any attempt to apply pressure. Mr House said that he had based his fears on “supposition” after a telephone call from persons he declined to name. A meeting on June 8 of contract cleaners and security guards voted to strike yesterday and the last Friday each month in support of the Federation of Labour claim for a $2O-a-week wage rise, but many security guards claimed that they had not been told of the meeting. They held thenown meeting, and voted not to join the strike yesterday. Most security guards who are members of the union were on duty yesterday, according to the management of Securitas and Armourguard. A third company, Crown Watching and Commercial Services, Ltd, declined to comment on the

effect of the strike.

The secretary of the Cleaners’ Union, Mr Gavin Cumming, said that he did not know how effective the strike had been because cleaners generally worked late and he had no way of knowing how many had reported or would report for work.

Mr House said he conceded that there might have been a human error in the union’s not informing many security guards of the meeting of June 8. If it was an error “it should not be repeated too often,” he said. He hoped that the planned meeting of security guards with union officials present would be able to sort out the issue.