Strikers Ordered To Resume Work In South

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30072, 5 March 1963, Page 12

Strikers Ordered To Resume Work In South

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 4. The Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) tonight ordered the striking freezing workers in Otago and Southland to resume work on Wednesday. He said he would invoke every available penalty under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act if his order was not carried out. Mr P. M. Bulling, president of the Otago-Southland Freezing Workers’ Union, said tonight that the union executive would meet at 1 p.m. tomorrow to consider the order. “It would not be fair to comment before then,” he said.

Mt Shand made his surprise demand after meeting union officials during the afternoon in his office. In a telegram to Mr Bulling later, he said:

“Following our discussion today, I give you formal notice that unless by 4 o’clock tomorrow afternoon your executive has called on the members of the union to resume work and notified the companies in your district that work will be resumed at normal commencing time on Wednesday, so far as stock can be made available, I will invoke every available penalty under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act.

“I am satisfied there is no ground upon Which any claim of victimisation might be soundly based.” Mr Shand’s telegram said. The strike has tied up every freezing works in Otago and. Southland. It began last Tuesday afternoon after the dismissal of an employee by the Alliance works.

Mr Shand met the employers last Friday. He conferred

this afternoon with Mr Bulling and Mr B. A. Manson, a union executive member. He also gave the executive of the Federation of Labour the opportunity to make representations on behalf of the union if it desired. "Not Very Sympathetic”

Mr Bulling said tonight that the union delegation did not get a very sympathetic hearing from Mr Shand. He said he had been unable to get in touch with either Mr F. P. Walsh or Mr K. McL. Baxter, president and secretary of the Federation of Labour in Wellington. “But the Minister told us that they were going to see him later in the afternoon and that he would make no decision until he had seen them,” Mr Bulling said. “I am led to believe that they made representations, but they could not have been in the union’s favour.” Penalties available under the I.C. and A. Act include fines of up to £lOO for members of unions and up to

£5OO for executive or committee members taking part in strikes, unless it can be proved that they voted in a secret ballot to strike, when the penalty is lessened to up to £5O for all members The union could also be penalised by deregistration.

Mr Shand said tonight that the stoppage was. typical of the type of "disturbance which he hoped he would have seen the last of after the frank discussions that took place last December in conciliation between employees' representatives and the employers. He sand union representatives had then undertaken to make a genuine effort in future 1o avoid this type of disturbance.

“I am particularly disturbed that it should be in Southland, which in the past has had such an outstanding record of good industrial relations, that the undertaking should be breached. Other districts generally appear to be making a genuine effort to honour it,” he said.