National union for freezing workers

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32522, 4 February 1971, Page 2

National union for freezing workers

(New Zealand Preus Association) WELLINGTON, February 3. A National Freezing Workers’ Union was registered with the Department of Labour on Monday, the Registrar of Industrial Unions (Mr A. G. Ruffell) confirmed today.

This is the first time for many y ears that freezing workers have had such a union. The old National Federation of Freezing Workers was deregistered by a previous Minister of Labour.

Mr Ruffell said that the application for regis- ■ tration had been lodged , some months ago, and i negotiations had heen proceding since about ■ August. i i Before this there were nine < district unions in New Zea- i

land, divided into North and South Island unions. Mr F. E. McNulty, of Christchurch, will be secretary of the national union He is also secretary of the present New Zealand Freez ing Workers’ Association, and he told the association at its annual conference in Balclutha today that the Minister of Labour (Mr Mar-

shall) had consented to the registration of the new union.

Mr McNulty said the formation of a national union to cover all freezing workers and related trade workers had at last become possible after many years of attempts. “The way is now clear for all freezing workers’ unions to become members of the one union. Already unions covering the whole of the South Island and many parts of the North Island have voted to join the national union, by overwhelming margins,” Mr McNulty said. The conference of the New Zealand Freezing Workers’ Association extended to all unions which had not yet decided to join the national organisation an invitation to do so in the interests of their members and of the trade union movement.

“The Federation of Labour supports this formation of the New Zealand Meat Workers Union,” Mr McNulty said. “It has promised its support in line with its policy of national unions in all industries.”