Confusion on pay after strike by works clerks

Press, 11 April 1978, Page 1

Confusion on pay after strike by works clerks

The first national strike by members of the freezing industry’s clerical workers’ union yesterday left confusion about which, if any, freezing workers will be paid.

The clerical workers’ pay claim will go to arbitration, as suggested by the Secretary of Labour (Mr G. Jackson) last Thursday.

The executive met at the week-end and agreed to take the dispute to arbitration. It had said on Thursday that it was too late to avoid yesterday’s strike. The clerical workers’ agreement to take their pay dispute to arbitration was announced yesterday by the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon). He said that the union would go to arbitration today and that the decision would mean the resumption of work.

Mr Muldoon also said that the Meat Workers’ Union was investigating stoppages at I he Alliance works in Southland and at Whakatu in Hawke’s Bay. The disputes at the two works had arisen while union officials were at their annual conference in Wanganui last week, and he hoped that now the officials were back at work they would “get things settled down.” Turning to the possibility of prosecutions against workers who had gone on strike and left stock unkilled, Mr Muldoon said the Labour Department would have to gather evidence before any decisions were made. However, the Ocean

Beach works in Southland was an exception in that the matter had “progressed” and was “likely to go to court before too long,” Mr Muldoon said. The pay confusion yesterday arose after the Meat Workers’ Union announced that its members would withdraw their labour if the companies used non-union labour to replace clerical staff. The Freezing Companies’ Association had announced on Friday that companies would put up stock and use non-union labour where necessary. The main problem was the manning of weighboxes.

At Finegand (South Otago) there was a full day’s kill. The eight female clerical staff did not come to work, but since weighing of stock is normally done by the members of the Meat Workers’ Union, there was no problem of non-union labour.

At the Nelson and Picton works of Waitaki-N.Z. Refrigerating, Ltd, stock was brought forward for killing, but weighing was not needed because the company bought the stock. Mr I. D. Graham, industrial officer of Waitaki, said that the Meat Workers’ Union had approved the proposal last week, but after an hour of killing the workers went home because the union apparently had second thoughts about by-passing the weigh-boxes. The union said it had changed its mind because it was thought the action might set a precedent.

At Burnside and Pukeuri, the Meat Workers’ Union had indicated that its members would not work because of the clerical workers' strike, and so no stock was supplied by the company.

Mr Graham said that at the Islington, Smithfield, Wairoa, and Imlay works some work was done in follow-on departments, and those workers would be paid. Stock , was presented at those works, but because the company was ready to used salaried staff to man weigh-boxes, the mea workers who did report went home again. The Canterbury Frozen Meat Company’s works at Belfast, Fairfield, and Pareora did not kill stock yesterday. A spokesman said that no stock was put up because of the Meat Workers’ Union decision to strike if non-union labour was used to replace clerical staff. The Christchurch abattoir meat, workers killed stock for an hour, then went home in support of the clerical workers. The Federation of Labour and the Freezing Companies’ Association held wage talks in Wellington yesterday. The clerical workers’ wage claim of 50c an hour extra is just one issue in the talks, which will continue today. Tradesmen and their assistants claim back pay and award increases for the coming year. Both the tradesmen’s and clerical workers' awards have been delayed to allow the Meat Workers’ Union award to be settled.