Minister takes hand in dispute

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33064, 3 November 1972, Page 2

Minister takes hand in dispute

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 2. The Minister of Labour (Mr Thomson) today told the Freezing Workers’ Union to take the Whakatu dispute to the Freezing Industry Disputes Committee.

He also said he had discussed the issue with the president of the Federation of Labour (*fr T. E. Skinner) and had asked him to use the federation’s influence to advise the parties to use the disputes procedure urgently, so that work could begin as soon as possible.

The Whakatu works was due to open at the beginning of last week, but the men walked out when they learned women were to be employed on the viscera table. Mr Thomson said he was satisfied the union and the employers were unable to settle the dispute, and there must be no further delay in following award procedures to resolve it.

The Meat Industry Employers Association last week filed the dispute with the committee, but the unions

said they would not attend. “I have told the union that this procedure must now be followed,” Mr Thomson said, “I have no doubt personally that job opportunities must not be denied to any person because she is a woman. How and where women are to be employed in particular freezing works is a matter for the disputes committee to decide if the parties themselves cannot agree on this,” he said.

Mr Thomson said the works should by now be killing 18,000 lambs a day, “and every delay means greater problems for the producers.” He added that the dispute had cost the workers about $lOO,OOO in wages.