Southland farmer wins works case

Press, 20 December 1978, Page 6

Southland farmer wins works case

PA Invercargill The Te Anau farmer protest leader, Mr Owen Buckingham, has succeeded in his Supreme Court injunction aimed at forcing the Southland Frozen Meat and Produce Export Company to put up his stock for slaughter.

Both parties learned yes-' terday that Mr Justice White had ruled in Mr Buckingham’s favour. With Mr Sid Slee, Mr: Buckingham is unable to get his stock slaughtered because of Meat Workers’ Union bans against them. The union; bans were applied after off-! season employment of freez-! ing workers was banned by; the two men's farmer action group. Mr Buckingham’s injunction was to restrain the Southland Frozen Meat Company from committing a breach of its statutory obligation under the Meat Act by! refusing to give an assurance that it would slaughter his stock forthwith. Alternatively, he wanted! the company’s Makarewa works to do its statutoryduty and receive his stock for killing. Mr Buckingham said after learning of the Court’s decision that he would “cer-*

fainly not” jeopardise his : position unless it was the wish of Federated Farmers. Federated Farmers has “been handling the negotiations aimed at getting bans - against the two farmers : lifted. H However, Mr Buckingham is “very pleased” with the decision. It meant that farmers would not have to withdraw stock in an effort to get the bans lifted, he isaid. “I can put stock up, and if [the union refuses to kill I them they are on strike as : far as I am aware,” Mr I Buckingham said. A similar sort of injunction might be taken out against the union, he said. The company’s general manager (Mr R. A. Cushen) said last evening that it would have to abide by the :Court’s decision. ! The company earlier had offered to take Mr Bucking1 ham’s stock, but he had not

put the stock in because he knew it would not be killed, Mr Cushen said Whether the union would kill it now was a matter yet to be decided.

The Otago-Southland branch executive of the Meat Workers’ Union met in Dunedin on Monday but the branch president (Mr T. Wereta) had no comment to make last evening on whether the bans would be lifted. Union spokesmen have said in the past that it would be a matter for members to decide. The general secretary of the union (Mr A. J. Kennedy) has urged that the bans be lifted: and the Finegand sub-branch has lifted any restriction against the two men at the Balclutha works.

But there has been no 'indication from the four Southland sheds that the I bans will be lifted.