No Settlement In Works Dispute

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30348, 25 January 1964, Page 16

No Settlement In Works Dispute

(New Zealand Press Association) INVERCARGILL, January 24. The dispute over bonus payments between workers at the Makarewa Freezing Works and the Southland Frozen Meat Company, which yesterday was placed in the hands of the Labour Department, remained unsettled this afternoon.

An official of the Labour Department in Wellington today said that the Invercargill officers of the department were keeping in touch with developments in the dispute, in which workers on hourly rates of pay are claiming increases.

He said that the department was waiting for reports from Invercargill on the situation. Another source said that discussions were to be held between officers of the Labour Department in Invercargill and district officials of the freezing workers’ union. The Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) has been informed of the dispute and investigations are being made. The Labour Department In Wellington was endeavouring to obtain some basis of

agreement between the parties so that work eould be resumed at the works early next week. Men in the casings and offal sorting departments of the works are seeking an increased bonus payment. The general manager of the Southland Frozen Meat Company (Mr V. S. Vial) said yesterday that the present basis allowed for special bonus payments above award rates.

The works have been idle since the men went out on strike on Wednesday. A meeting was held at Makarewa this morning when the president of the South-land-Otago Freezing Workers' Union (Mr K. Shaw) addressed the workers. But it was not known by the company whether any decisions had been made.

Mr M. J. Michael, district officer of the Labour Department in Invercargill, said this afternoon that he could make no comment on the dispute.