Labour Court recommends True Temper workers accept savings plan or negotiate equivalent

The Labour Court recommended that production workers at True Temper Limited accept one of the company’s proposals or negotiate an alternative agreement delivering the same savings. Any agreement should not be implemented until full working resumed. The recommendation was dated 24 July 1996. The company said it needed to reduce production costs after losses and cut its direct labour savings target from £150,000 to £110,000. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union opposed proposals that could reduce wages or bonuses, and said production workers were being singled out. The Court said productivity savings were needed to ensure the company’s survival. It recommended that either party could ask it to assess the effects of operational changes after 12 months.