BREAD SUPPLIES

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24793, 6 February 1946, Page 6

BREAD SUPPLIES

WELLINGTON BAKERS’ DECISION

(P.A.) WELLINGTON. February 5. A crisis in the Wellington bread industry was precipitated to-day by receipt of a resolution from the master bakers stating that they agreed, to bake this Friday only the normal requirements for that day and, in the event of bakehouse employees refusing to work on Saturday that the Labour Department should be asked to take action, and that a deduction for. that day be made in the weekly wages of the employees. It was also decided that a further meeting of bakers should be called next week. The employers pointed out that, in the event of the men refusing to work on Saturday, there would undoubtedly be a great shortage of bread. A spokesman for the workers put the possible shortage at one-third of normal requirements* He emphasised tjiat a five-day week had worked satisfactorily among bakehouse employees elsewhere, and that there had never been a shortage of bread when statutory holidays fell on Monday. The men were quite willing to work extra hours on Friday to ensure an adequate supply if the employers let them. A special meeting of the Employees’ Union has been fixed for to-morrow afternoon to discuss the latest development AUCKLAND POSITION (P.A.) AUCKLAND, Feb. 5. .As far as Auckland employers were concerned, they were paying the men in accordance with the weekly number of hours worked, said Mr A. E. Brownlie, president of the Auckland Master Bakers’ Association. If a man W’orked for 36 hours during the week, he received pay for 36 hours, and if he did not report- for work on Saturdays he was treated as an absentee under the ruling given by the Industrial Magistrate (Mr J. A. Gilmour).