Disputes at four works

Press, 18 February 1977, Page 1

Disputes at four works

PA Wellington Mediation in the Whakatu freezing works deadlock should begin today, but the chief industrial mediator (Mr Phil Cranston) is unable to attend the negotiations. There has been no killing at the Hastings-based works since last Friday and there is now no chance of work resuming until next week. A head office spokesman for the Department of Labour said yesterday that Mr Cranston had been called in to mediate in two separate industrial disputes in Southland and Otago and was unlikely to be available until after Monday.

However, another member of the Industrial Mediation Service, Mr Walter Grills, would begin negotiations at Whakatu as soon as both parties were available. Work resumed at Borthwick’s Waitara freezing works yesterday after a meeting "between union and

management representatives. The dispute, which caused a walk-out on Tuesday over the dismissal of a union delegate for allegedly not carrying out an instruction, will go before' a disputes committee today. Mr Cranston presided over a meeting at the Makarewa freezing works in Southland yesterday and will give his decision today. Normal work resumed at Makarewa yesterday. Slaughtermen at the Burnside freezing works went back to work yesterday morning, while talks between management and union officials were being held. A dispute arose on Monday when slaughtermen presented the management with 29 claims for extra payment for what they believe are “additional duties.”

The management’s answer was to withdraw stock for killing, leaving the slaughtermen with no work.