“Hindering Industrial Harmony”

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31089, 18 June 1966, Page 1

“Hindering Industrial Harmony”

(N.Z. Press Association) INVERCARGILL, June 17. The intervention of the Government with

all its powers in the first stages of a dispute could only lead to increased bitterness and a hardening of opinion on both sides, said the Nelson president of the Freezing Workers’ Union (Mr B. A. Manson) today.

Mr Manson was replying to charges made by members of Southland Federated Farmers last week when they urged the Government to take strong action against striking workers, and use the powers of the I.C. and A. Act to deregister striking unions. Mr Manson warned Federated Fanners and the South Island Freezing Companies’ Association that the freezing industry could be faced with stoppages of long duration, if

they convinced any government that it should in every case invoke the penalties of the act when stoppages occurred. “If Federated Farmers and

the freezing companies wanted to see industrial harmony in the meat-processing industry, then the steps they are now taking will not help, and will indeed hinder, the realisation of these aims,” said Mr Manson. Federated Farmers and the public should be made aware of the fact, that every day in every freezing works, mat-

ters in dispute are being discussed between management and union, and settlements are being reached without stoppages and without publicity. “Every matter that is raised could be a potential stoppage,” said Mr Manson. “Yet Federated Farmers try to give the impression that all issues are decided by strike action. This is far from the truth. “In Southland this season nearly half the total number iof working days were short

■ days because farmers held back stock on their farms. “At the end of February this year the earnings of I slaughtermen were in some

cases £2OO less than for the same period the previous year. Yet probably less than 12 days were lost in the Otago-Southland district this season as the result of industrial unrest, and on a national basis the total hours lost in the industry through this cause have been reduced from 39,000 in 1962 to 11,000 in 1965. “If there has been consider-

able non-working time in the industry it was because farmers held back stock solely for reasons of profit,” said Mr Manson. “Yet there is no thought for the loss of earnings suffered by freezing workers when working short time. “Much of the loss of productive time could be overcome if the freezing companies and Federated Farmers would co-operate with the unions to control the rate of Idling to ensure consistent

earnings for our members,” said Mr Manson.

“The system is working in Canterbury where with only 16 per cent of the total facilities in New Zealand they are handling 23 per cent of the total kill with a minimum of non-productive time. “To talk of deregistration as a means of settling and preventing disputes is just plain nonsense,” Mr Manson said.

Freezing workers throughout the country would deplore the statements made by Federated Farmers, which had obviously been made in complete ignorance of the day-to-day operations of the industry.