Wellington Boilermaker's Stand Their Ground

A bulletin distributed by the Wellington Boilermaker's Union during ongoing disputes regarding several ongoing projects. At this time union membership was compulsory, and the 1970s in particular saw massive industrial action that slowed the progress of work around the country. 

The 'boilermakers' (a somewhat antiquated term that encompasses tradespeople who weld and fabricate steel and other metals) had been employed by contractors on construction projects including the BNZ Centre at 1 Willis Street. Their industrial action is most often remembered in Wellington by the delayed progress of the building, which took 9 years and was eventually completed in 1984. Due to the publicity that surrounded the project and its affiliation with labour disputes, steel quickly fell out of favour for the construction of commercial buildings around New Zealand.

Note that at the time of printing (1977) the Boilermakers Union had already been deregistered by the Minister of Labour.