KAIAPOI MILLS DISPUTE

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24572, 22 May 1945, Page 4

KAIAPOI MILLS DISPUTE

— COMMITTEE TO BE SET UP

WEAVERS TO' WORK WHEN SITTING BEGINS An industrial disputes committee under war-time emergency regulations to deal with the Kaiapoi Woollen Mills dispute will be set up by the ActingMinister of Labour (the Hon, J. OBrien). This information was given to a union meeting at Kaiapoi yesterday in a letter from the Labour Department, and the 41 two-loom weavers who stopped work last Thursday agreed to return to work on the morning that the disputes committee sits. That is expected to be some time this week. The letter from the Labour Department asked the union to nominate three representatives for the committee. Messrs J. Roberts, president of the Canterbury Trades Council of the Federation of Labour, A. B. Grant, secretary, and F. L. Langley, Canterbury representative on the national council of the federation, were nominated.

The dispute was caused by the contention of the two-loom weavers that they should receive the same piece rates as one-loom weavers instead of 15 per cent, less, as provided in the award. The Kaiapoi Woollen Manufacturing Company, Ltd., has, however, taken the attitude that the two-loom weavers should be paid only the rates specified in the award. The stoppage of work has been confined to the twoloom weavers.