Freezing Talks Bring "Little Progress"

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32233, 27 February 1970, Page 1

Freezing Talks Bring "Little Progress "

The pre-conciliation meeting in Christchurch yesterday between the freezing workers and employers made little progress, according to the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr S. W. Armstrong). “We sat until half-past six,” Mr Armstrong said last evening. “We talked all day on priority. The workers want absolute priority on mutton slaughtermen’s rates. The employers wouldn’t agree to that at all. They would give it some degree of priority, but not to that extent.” He said he did not know

how the employers would define “some degree” of priority. “The employers have some things they think should have some priority, too,” he said. The workers had claimed that in previous meetings the employers* representatives had not had the authority to make decisions, Mr Armstrong was told. “Nonsense,” he commented. At the meeting yesterday, he said, there were eight employers’ representatives, with Mr J. Murray, secre-

tary of the New Zealand Freezing Employers’ Association, as their advocate. The unions were represented by 15 delegates, led by the secretary of the New Zealand Freezing Workers’ Association (Mr F. E. McNulty). Mr Armstrong said that the pre-conciliation meeting would resume at 9 a.m. today, but so little progress, had been made that he was not optimistic about agreement being reached today. “I’m away to Dunedin on Monday,” said Mr Armstrong. “If we can’t fix things up tomorrow I’ve got no idea when we can continue the hearing. We

might be able to manage it on Wednesday. But I’ve got other commitments, up to three or four months ahead. If we don’t get anywhere soon I don’t know what will happen.”