MEAT SOLD BY DAIRIES

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27688, 18 June 1955, Page 8

MEAT SOLD BY DAIRIES

BUTCHERS’ UNION’S OPPOSITION (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 17. The sale of frozen meat by dairies should be prohibited, the Labour Bills Committee was told today. Meat should not be included in the list of goods allowed for sale under the proposed Shops and Offices Bill. Miss E; M. Allan, secretary of the Auckland Butchers’ Union, told the committee that the union objected to the selling of frozen meat by dairies in Auckland city and suburbs. There was a possibility of a reduction of staffs in Butchers’ shops if the practice was allowed to continue and expand. The union feared that if dairies were allowed to operate in direct competition with butchers without any of the conditions imposed by the butchers’ award, employers would not view with favour any requests from the workers for higher rates of pay or improved working conditions, even where such increases and improvements were necessary to maintain the standard of living and to keep abreast of modern hygiene and safety requirements.

In Auckland, dairies were selling packaged frozen meat, and these dairies were open seven days a week and during the evenings. The rates of pay of shop assistants in dairies were lower than those of butcher’s assistants. Most of the meat in the dairies would be handled by women, but the butchers’ award prohibited the employment of women as butcher’s assistants, and laid down that they should not handle fresh meat. Miss Allan said the union felt that dairies stocked ample varieties of tinned foods for household use in cases of emergency, without including frozen meat.