NO AGREEMENT REACHED

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22554, 9 November 1938, Page 12

NO AGREEMENT REACHED

DAIRY FACTORY MANAGERS CONCILIATION COUNCIL ADJOURNED No final agreement was reached in Conciliation Council last night in the dispute between the South Island Dairy Factory Managers’ Industrial Union of Workers and the employers. The employers offered to agree to the rates of pay set out by the workers in their claims, provided that the union would accept the sum of £2 a month in lieu of coal, cheese and other perquisites, not including the house. The union assessors asked for time to consider their answer, and the council was adjourned. For butter factory managers the union claimed a minimum rate of £312 a year, with scaled increments according to the volume of production. For cheese factory managers the union claimed a minimum of £252 10s a year with an additional payment of 11s a ton for production in excess of 40 tons.

It was agreed that cheese factory managers should receive four weeks’ leave on full pay each year, and that managers of butter factories should have three weeks’ vacation on full pay annually. In opening the proceedings, the union’s advocate, Mr J. Murray, of Auckland, said that the claims advanced by the factory managers were based on the absolute minimum that was reasonable and commensurate with a manager’s duties. The dairy factory manager was in a peculiar position in so far as he was really responsible for the output and quality of the product. He was required to work sufficient hours to assure the quality of the finished product. The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr S. Ritchie) presided. The assessors for the employers were: Messrs J. B. Trudgeon (advocate), C. P. Agar, G. Heron, S. J. Smith, S. R. Muff, P. J. O’Regan, J. B. Barnett, and for the union, Messrs J. Murray (advocate), H. Branthwaite, A. A. Reid, A. E. Pain, and J. J, Henry,