Laundry workers go on strike

Press, 25 January 1986, Page 9

Laundry workers go on strike

Laundry workers at two Christchurch private hospitals took industrial action yesterday in support of their claims for wage increases and an industrial allowance.

But spokesmen for St George’s Hospital and Wesley Hospital said strike action by their laundry workers had not affected patients. Mr Cliff Russ, director of administration for the Methodist Central Mission, said he had known that strike action would be taken yesterday at Wesley Hospital. “We have been taking every step to ensure our patients are well cared for and all their requirements are met,” he said.

Mrs Hilary Brown, secretary of the Canterbury Laundry Workers’ Union, said a request from the employers to exempt private hospitals from industrial action had

been rejected. Laundry workers from dry-cleaning firms and private hospitals decided on January 16 to take industrial action, after their award talks broke down the previous day.

Union claims had included a $2O industry allowance on top of a wage increase, clothing and footwear allowances, and a 10-minute rest break when the temperature was higher than 35deg. The employers had offered wage increases of up to 16.89 per cent, but the award talks were adjourned when they refused to consider the union claim for an industrial allowance.

The employers’ advocate, Mr Alan Davis, said yesterday that a new offer from the employers included an average wage rise of 17.7 per cent. Laundry workers would get a $35 a week increase, a 20 per cent rise in

service allowances and a 15.5 per cent increase on other allowances. He said three-quarters of the. 400 laundry workers covered by the award in Canterbury, Westland, Otago and Southland had accepted the new offer. Mrs Brown said the offer had not been accepted by the union’s negotiating team. “We have a group of workers who are part of 1 the negotiating team. They have made a decision that the employers’ offer is not enough.” She said the union wanted parity with laundry workers employed by the State in public hospitals. She did not rule out the possibility of more industrial action. Mr Davis said a tentative date for the resumption of conciliation had been set for February 10. He said that there could be no negotiation if industrial action was still being taken.