The Serious Fraud Office has announced it will not investigate Affco's complaint over the financial affairs of the New Zealand Meat Workers and Related Trades Union.
Affco yesterday said it had asked the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to investigate the union's financial accounts in a move union general secretary Dave
Eastlake said was a stunt to detract from Affco's actions over locked-out workers.
But SFO chief executive Adam Feeley today said an immediate evaluation of the information provided to investigators showed no evidence of fraud.
``We encourage any member of the public to contact us where they have any reasonable grounds to believe that a serious financial crime may be taking place,'' Mr Feeley said.
``However, it is equally important that the resources of law enforcement agencies are not unnecessarily drawn into matters where other, more appropriate, courses of action are available.''
Affco and the union are today in negotiations over a collective agreement, which expired at the end of last year. The union has since issued 15 strike notices.
Affco chief executive Hamish Simson said the company had been targeted by the Council of Trade Unions and the meat workers' union because of dwindling union membership at Affco sites.
``The union has already stated the dispute is not about wages but about the authority the union has over the operations of the company and ability to influence or retain members.''
Affco said it remained open to constructive discussion in good faith.
Mr Simson said the company wanted a clear, modern, flexible collective agreement that was not subject to continued legal challenges by the union.
``The meat industry is facing tough times and to preserve jobs over the longer term the union has to take a modern approach,'' he said.
Union general secretary Dave Eastlake said the company was not interested in a collective agreement on the union's terms.
``They're saying they don't mind having a collective agreement as long as they don't have to agree to anything,'' he said.
