LONGBURN DI SPITE Mr Shand Offers To Call Conference

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31986, 13 May 1969, Page 32

LONGBURN DI SPITE Mr Shand Offers To Call Conference

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, May 12. Tlie Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) said tonight that he was prepared to call a compulsory conference of representatives of management and unions to discuss the dispute at the Longburn freezing works, provided work was resumed by the boners and beef butchers on the terms and conditions that applied before their services were terminated on April 18.

Mr Shand said he had discussed the dispute with both union officials and the manager of the Longburn works, which was owned by the Cooperative Wholesale Society, Ltd, of Manchester.

Mr Shand said that until the end of February the boners and trimmers had been working under an unwritten

incentive scheme agreement which had been in use for three years. The men were dissatisfied with this scheme, and there had been some negotiations for a new one. At the end of February the men notified the management that from March 1 they were cancelling the existing incentive agreement and would work to award rates and conditions until a new incentive scheme was negotiated. Mr Shand said the boners and trimmers continued to !work under award rates and conditions throughout March, but the drop in production appeared to the manager to be more substantial than could be warranted by the change from the incentive' scheme.

Mr Shand said this drop in output, coupled with some refusal of overtime and a high rate of absenteeism, resulted in a rate of production | which the manager would not accept. “The manager considers that there was a ‘go-slow’ policy which made it impossible for him to operate economically, and advised the men on April 18 that unless they were prepared to work under the old incentive scheme and increase production they would be dismissed,” he said. This was not accepted by the men, and they were dismissed on April 18.

Mr Shand said the beef butchers gave notice on April 14 that as from April 18 they desired to cancel the unwritten incentive scheme, which had applied to their work for some time, and work under the terms and conditions of the Freezing Workers’ Award until a new incentive scheme was negotiated.

“On April 18 the beef butchers advised the manager that they intended to work to award conditions the next week. The manager said that with conditions in the boning room as they were and the prospect of similar conditions on the beef floor, he considered it impractical to continue operations and dismissed both butchers and boners."

Mr Shand said he proposed to both parties that he call a compulsory conference as soon as the following conditions were accepted:—

Work should resume on the terms and conditions that applied when work stopped on April 18. This would mean that the beef butchers would return to work under their prese t unwritten incentive scheme and would work under its terms and conditions until negotiations for a new scheme had been completed.

The boners and trimmers would return to work under award conditions, but with an assurance from . the union that a reasonable rate of production would be maintained and a genuine effort made not to impede the orderly progress of work.

“I have conveyed this proposal to both parties and am waiting for their replies,” Mr Shand said.

The president of the Wellington Freezing Workers’ Union (Mr F. B. Thorn) said tonight that the Longburn freezing workers would agree to resume work on the status

quo basis of beef butchers killing 44 beasts an hour and boners being paid hourly rates.

This was on the condition that the management guaranteed that there would be no victimisation of branch officials or members involved in the dispute.