National Strike By Freezing Works Fitters Forecast

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32394, 5 September 1970, Page 1

National Strike By Freezing Works Fitters Forecast

(New Zealand Press Association/ AUCKLAND, September 4. The strike by about 200 maintenance fitters employed at the five Auckland freezing works may spread throughout the country, according to the national secretary of the Engineers’ Union (Mr P. G. Allen).

But while conceding the possibility of a national strike, Mr Alien made it dear that the union’s national council had hot issued any directive to the fitters on this matter. Members had had referred to them a resolution which sought their endorsement on the question of entering intc a new agreement with the employers, he said. “The members have clearlj indicated that they are in favour,” he said. All Southland members oi the Engineers* Union, em ployed by the four freezing companies in the area, de cided to strike today. Auckland fitters have been on strike since Monday pro

testing at what they say is the refusal of the employers to agree to a reasonable wage demand. ? Thousands of bobby calves have been stranded on farms because there has been no bobby calf killing since the dispute began. The men said' they would return to work when the companies were, prepared to indicate definitely that they would “enter into meaningful negotiations on a national award.” The companies claim to have made a definite indication. On Thursday the dispute became further deadlocked when the employers rejected claims made by fitters after a mass meeting in Auckland. The fitters, who are now earning $1.31 to $1.33 an hour, asked for $1.40 an hour on an interim basis. They also wanted their new award to be negotiated with 27 per cent to be added. The claims were described as completely unacceptable by the secretary of the New Zealand Freezing Companies industrial union of employers (Mr J. Murray). The fitters will meet again in Auckland on Tuesday to discuss further action, but their week-long strike has already forced the closure of two of the three major works in Auckland—R. and W. Hellaby, Ltd, and the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Cooperative works, at Southdown. The Westfield Freezing Company still has about a quarter of its work-force of 1300. The Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Co-operative works at Horotiu has half of its 1000-strong work-force employed, and a similar situation exists at the company’s

(Moerewa works, where 400 men are working. The strike had put about 4000 freezing workers out of work, the secretary of the Auckland Freezing Workers’ Union (Mr T. P. Kelly) said today. Mr Kelly said the situation for 1400 freezing workers at the Westfield works, who had only received one full pay in five weeks before being laid O’*, was disastrous. “We are very concerned for them as they missed out on their pay packets for the first 1' days of last month and have only had one full pay since,” he said. “It will be a terrific hardship to them.” A message from Invercargill said that about 75 maintenance fitters and fitters’ mates employed by the Ocean Beach, Alliance, Makarewa, and Mataura .works held a meeting in the city today and decided by secret ballot to stop work immediately. Fifteen plumbers from the Ocean Beach, Alliance and Makarewa works also decided to stop work. Mataura plumbers were not represented. Mr J. A. Boomer, an executive of the Federation of Labour and district secretary of the Otago - Southland branch of the Engineers’ Union attended the meeting. “The men are disturbed at the unrealistic attitude of freezing companies’ representatives and are only prepared to return to work if the companies are prepared to make an adjustment on current rates on an interim basis,” Mr Boomer said. “The workers are striking because freezing company employers are seeking to abolish the 27 per cent margin that the freezer section of the engineering trade has had over other engineering employees.”

In the freezing industry the engineering trade has enjoyed the 27 per cent margin because of special conditions in which members worked. The meeting rejected the employers’ pronouncement that in future the award rate would be the rate paid by the freezing companies.