IHC staff vow to ignore lockout and stay at jobs

By MATHEW DEARNALEY

Auckland IHC workers Hameeda Kumar and Doreen Tuaputa vow to stay at their posts against lockout notices which the disability service organisation is issuing to staff throughout the country.

Ms Kumar received her marching orders soon after 6.30am yesterday at a Mt Wellington community home where five intellectually handicapped residents were under her sole overnight supervision, but told a visiting manager she did not intend leaving them.

"I said "Fine, you do your job, but I'm not leaving the premises until I finish my shift'."

The manager had asked whether she intended supporting a union campaign of limited industrial action in pursuit of a backpaid wage rise, including a paperwork ban and a boycott against driving vans on Fridays, but left after being told she would not budge.

"I told her that as far as I know there is no shift ban, we are just not doing any paperwork," said Mrs Kumar, a Service and Food Workers' Union delegate.

Mrs Tuaputa, who arrived later for her normal day shift, did not receive a lockout notice but said she would refer any such approach to the union and stay on duty in the meantime.

National union advocate John Ryall, who represents about 2000 of the IHC's 5000 staff, accused the organisation of a massive overreaction to a "very muted" campaign of work bans in a bid for almost six months' backpay on a 2 per cent wage rise offer.

"It is a bit like a blitzkrieg attack on our members - in some cases they have been rung up at home and asked whether they are going to support the union or face being locked out."

Mr Ryall said most of his members were standing firm against what he described as attempts to bully and isolate them, after the union distributed notices advising them to stay at work to maintain solidarity with one another.

But IHC human resources manager Ruth McKenzie said the intention was to give staff a fair choice in deciding whether to press ahead with bans which were likely to cause considerable disruption both to the organisation and its 4000 adult service users.

Union members intend refusing to drive vans between residential homes and workshops on Fridays, and Ms McKenzie said the paperwork boycott put the welfare of users at risk by interfering with activities such as menu-planning and health status reporting.

The union has been preparing an urgent injunction bid. Last night it re-entered talks with the IHC which were adjourned until this morning after reaching what the organisation said was "a sensitive stage".



Furniture-making continued unabated at an Otahuhu workshop where supervising trainer and union national negotiator Michael Northcote had yet to receive a notice.

Mr Northcote said his hourly wage of $14.56c after 22 years in the job was less than that of an 18-year-old family acquaintance who had just started a cabinet-making apprenticeship.

Ms McKenzie said the organisation had always told the union it could afford a 2 per cent pay rise only without backpay, as its annual Government funding increase was 1.8 per cent across just 70 per cent of its services.