IMPOSITION OF TALLIES

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29193, 2 May 1960, Page 12

IMPOSITION OF TALLIES

Judge’s Gommenl On Effect

Working conditions and the earnings of workers in the freezing industry appear to be affected by innumerable private agreements, many of which have not even been committed to writing, and some of which are possibly invalid because of inconsistency with the provisions of the award, says Mr Justice Tyndall, president of the Court of Arbitration, in a memorandum to an order varying the expiry date of the New Zealand Freezing Workers’ Award.

“It was alleged in the Court of Arbitration by witnesses for the association of workers that the secretary of the Patea union alone had recorded in his books over 200 signed agreements, but the witnesses were unable to say when all the said agreements were in current operation,” says Mr Justice Tyndall. “The question of tbe output of pieceworkers is a very important one in relation to incorporation. It seems to be common ground that practices designed to restrict the output of pieceworkers are in operation throughout the country. The term used in the industry in referring to these practices is ‘tallies.’ The workers contend that tallies are in general operation as the result of agreement with the employers. "The employers stoutly deny that they have been parties to any such agreement. “As to the size of the tallies that are in actual operation for different classes of work in the various districts and works, there was considerable conflict of evidence.

“The imposition of tallies appears to have the effect of reducing the earnings of individual pieceworkers below the amount which it is possible to earn under the provisions of the award,” Mr Justice Tyndall says.