BAN BY DAIRY WORKERS

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28258, 22 April 1957, Page 10

BAN BY DAIRY WORKERS

Milk Shortage Threatened

Christchurch will be without milk on Saturday if no agreement is reached between the New Zealand Dairy Factories and Related Trades Employees’ Unions and employers. The Christchurch branch of the union is supporting the order by its national executive not to work overtime or accept call-backs from midnight on Thursday to midnight on Friday of every week, commencing on April 26. Unionists have been permitted to supply milk to hospitals and other similar institutions, but Mr D. G. T. Beaumont, a Christchurch delegate to the union, said last evening that although employers were not obstructing them they were not prepared to assist in the compiling of lists of priority supplies. The ban means that customers will face milkless Saturdays and a big shortage on Fridays. At present most deliveries in Christchurch are being made during the evening rather than early morning. “Union Stands Firm*’

Mr Beaumont said that his union stood firm on the- ban issue, and would not change its view unless the demands made for pay increases were again discussed at conciliation meetings. He said he expected that employers would attempt to find means of running the plants, but other groups associated with the union were prepared to support the unionists in their demands.

DUNEDIN MEN’S DECISION

Manager’s Statement Denied (New Zealand Press Association) DUNEDIN, April 21. Dunedin milk treatment station employees this morning denied the statement made by the station manager (Mr W. Black) on Thursday that they had refused to obey their union’s directive to refuse Friday work, overtime and work on days off. The Dunedin members of the New Zealand Dairy Workers’ Union issued thia statement: “We the employees of the Dunedin milk treatment station, wish to deny the statement made by Mr W. Black. “The meeting held on Sunday. April 14, referred to by Mr Black, had before it only a report of the Auckland unionists’ action, and we issued the following statement: ‘We do not hold with Auckland going on a 40-hour week, and banning overtime and call“No meeting has been held by the Dunedin union in connexion with Friday work or with a movement to strike, as no instructions have been formally received yet from the national union.” Mr Black had claimed that the Dunedin employees had decided to ignore any ban on Friday work or overtime pl-ced by the national union.