Union To Consider Blacklisting Today

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30065, 25 February 1963, Page 10

Union To Consider Blacklisting Today

(New Zealand Press Association) INVERCARGILL, February 24. The executive of the Otago-Southland Freezing Workers’ Union on Monday will decide what action is to be taken over the alleged victimisation and blacklisting of a member of the union. The executive will meet in Dunedin to discuss the alleged blacklisting which has caused a stoppage of work at the Alliance works since Thursday.

The district president of the union, Mt P. M. Bulling, said today that all works in the district would abide by the directive given by the executive on the issue. “The Alliance workers could be told to go back to work, or there could be a general stoppage. The executive will decide,” he said. A Labour Department spokesman said the union’s district executive could not legally direct the workers to do anything but conduct ballots on the issue.

Anything else would be a breach of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, it was said. Meetings on Saturday resulted in the Makarewa freezing works losing about three hours’ killing—equiva-

lent to 4500 to 5000 lambs—and Ocean Beach losing about an hour’s killing—equivalent to about 1200 lambs. Secret Ballot The Makarewa meeting began at 10 o’clock and a secret ballot was reported to have resulted in a decision not to, give support to Alliance. The men resumed work at 2.10 p.m. Official details of the meeting were not announced. The Labour Department received advice only from the companies. Mr Bulling, a Makarewa slaughterman, said he was not at the Makarewa meeting and could not comment on it.

It was said, however, that Makarewa had not been asked to give direct support to Alliance, as the issue was one to be decided at a district level.

It was reported that at the hour-long Ocean Beach meeting which began at 8 o’clock, it was decided on a show of hands not to take a ballot on the alleged blacklisting issue.

There were two meetings at the Martaura works, but only of the union branch executive, and killing was nort affected.

The company was not advised of the subject discussed.