Shearers concerned about farmers’ move

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32994, 14 August 1972, Page 12

Shearers concerned about farmers’ move

It was a matter of concern to shearers that Federated Farmers was now informing its members not to make a joint application to the Remuneration Authority for an increase in local ruling rates paid to shearers, said Mr R. H. Skerten, South Island organiser for the New Zealand Workers’ Union, yesterday.

Mr Skerton was replying to a statement by Mr B. H. Palmer, chairman of the wool committee of North Canterbury Federated Farmers, after a meeting of his committee on Friday. Not so long ago this was one of the things that Mr Palmer had said publicly should be done, Mr Skerton said. Not once had Federated Farmers in North Canterbury said that the increase asked for was too much, but had refused to make a joint application for an increase when the way was open under regulation 17 of the Stabilisation of Remuneration Regulations, Mr Skerton said. Any suggestion that each farmer and his shearer or shearers make application individually was obviously quite impractical. The confusion created, said Mr Skerton, had been brought about solely by Federated Farmers not recognising local ruling rates, which

had been agreed upon by 10-i cal farmers and shearers over! the last 20 years. Over the last month, he said, the New Zealand Workers’ Union had held meetings with local shearers and had unanimously gained their support, guaranteeing them to do all in the union’s power to support them in their stand in asking for rates of $2O per 100 for machine shearing and $22 per $lOO for blade shearing.