Labour Court rejects union pay claim for Japack machine operators

In 1994, the Labour Court rejected the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union’s claim for a productivity pay increase for three operators of a Japack packing machine at Marchmont Packaging Limited. The recommendation was signed on 4 February 1994. The union said the machine reduced the crew from four to three and that its industrial engineer found productivity had increased significantly. The company argued the machine made the work easier and that productivity gains came from its investment rather than the operators’ effort. The Court found the union had not put forward grounds to justify conceding the claim.