PRINT EMPLOYERS! HUMBUG OVER THIRD WEEK'S HOLIDAY CLAIM by indrew Rigby
organ of the National Seapeioal issodation, J,iM. Bonfield refors to “the present attitude of the employers over the negotiations for a third week's holidey as "deception" and "humbug", He writes"...the employers’ representatives hed one object and one object only - to delay and obstruct the introduction of the third week by a calculsted policy of deception and humbug," He continues, "s.. They have cynically defaulted on their obligation under the 1962 settlement to make an objective assesament of the third week's holiday claim - with the result that another dispute in the industry is now a distinct possibility and, perhaps of even greater long-term consequence, it will by many a long day before anyone on the union side will be ready to accept their word alone."
Hé says further, that there has ever been: 60 mach double talk and gives an example of this by sta ting one of the employors'! claims that ",.whe Wer an amployer should or ” Bhoula not be allowed to do productive work without a union card is relevant to containing any increase in cost or dislocation of production as a result of the introduction of a third week's holiday, then you are surely entitled to want te spit." He wes on ",.the 34 conditions the employers have sought te impose as the price of a third week's holiday - all of which, they were insisting as sate as our last meeting with them, were the price of the whole additional week - and, above all, in the almost complete irrelevance of of the conditions to the subject as issue,"
These are totally unaccejitable end as has been pointed owt by the Printing and Kindred Trades Federution (PKTF) the employers! claims if acceptable would be worth three months lst alone three weeks, A number of obstacles were further placed in front of the unions by the exployers as the negotiations went on. These tended to incrense the already difficult situation and therefora to slow down negotiation, and subseoucntly lei to a breakdown.
J... Bonfield draws to a close by statins thet “Tha Executive Council have eae the position end haya recommended to the SKIFF that one further meeting with the employers! organisation be sought to press the claim for the third week's holiday again without conditions and, failing repid progress towarts a settlement, members be balloted.on the question of industrial action." It is clear that the employers are being as difficult as possible by putting every obetaele in front oS the uniens with the hope of forestalling the third week's holiday, and will go to any length, even that of risking industrial action, to this ind.