Dispute Four Years Old

Press, Volume C, Issue 29415, 18 January 1961, Page 12

Dispute Four Years Old

The unions’ claims in the dispute would cost employers an estimated extra £78.000 yearly. The origins of the issue go back to before the 1957-58 season, when special payments for handling dirty stock were dealt with under a special award provision. This provided that, “in exceptional circumstances,’’ unions and employers might agree on a special rate for especially dirty or obnoxious work. If there were no agreement, the matter would be referred to a disputes committee. Under this system, workers began the practice of keeping a count of sheep or lambs which were dirty or which had burrs or bidi-bidi in their wool.

Inevitably, arguments and disputes arose between management and workers over the count and over consequent payments. In February, 1957, Auckland freezing workers and employers agreed to refer to a disputes committee with an independent arbitrator, the possibility of evolving an all-in rate on all sheep and lambs killed, to cover all dirty or diseased stock.

The chairman, Mr F. Craig, secretary of the New Zealand Timber Workers’ Union, fixed an all-in rate of 4s 6d a 100. Because of difficulties and innumerable stoppages in other districts, attempts were made to devise a similar procedure elsewhere. In October. 1957, when parties met to make a new award, they agreed in conciliation to establish disputes committees to fix all-in rates at each works. There seemed to be no possibility of having a uniform flat rate for New Zealand because, under the previous “count” system, some works had won higher rates than others.

Rates varying between 4s 6d a 100 and 21s a 100 were subsequently set. When the next award was made in 1959, special rates were incorporated and the lower ones were increased.

Rates then ranged from 9s a 100 in the North Island—except Auckland, where the rate was 12s a 100—to between 15s and 21s in the South Island.

After complete agreement between the parties on conciliation in July last year, these rates were written into the current award. It is believed union members subsequently decided that they had little prospect of gaining further significant base wage increases and decided that “obnoxious” stock payments yielded opportunity for real gains in take home pay. There was no substantial argument for higher rates in the South Island: unions there had merely brought more pressure to bear under the previous “count” system. Had there been no increase in rates granted recently by the farmer directors of the Whakatu freezing works—who were believed to be worried at the drift of experienced men to the South Island and particularly to Southland and who, therefore, considered more uniform rates should apply at various works— the present dispute would not have arisen.

But after a stoppage in early November, Whakatu workers

were recently granted an increase of 8s a 100 to 17s a 100.

Other unions then asked for increases in line with Whakatu.

In two-day negotiations, employers offered an increase in the North Island to 17s a 100, which means 8s in all districts, except Auckland, where the increase would be only 5s a 100. In the South Island, companies were prepared to increase all rates to a minimum of 17s a 100. and where they are at present higher—for example at Pukeri, Otago, they are 20s a 100—to add an extra Is a 100. Workers modified their demands to an increase of 8s a 100 in the North Island but only to 5s a 100 was added to South Island rates. The talks then broke down. An increase of 8s a 100 would mean Is an hour or £2 a week for slaughtermen. The average weekly earnings of mutton slaughtermen for not more than 40 hours work, including a rate of 17s a 100 for “obnoxious” stock, would be about £3O. without overtime.

In some South Island works, it is reported that up to eight h'ours overtime weekly is customarily worked.