Killing at Islington to resume today?

Press, 16 April 1980, Page 6

Killing at Islington to resume today?

Freezing workers at the Islington ■ works of . Waitaki N.Z; Refrigerating will meet this morning to decide whether to return to work. - The works became idle on April 11 after a dispute about what comprised a full day’s kill; About 4000 lambs were inithe yards ready for killing. The secretary of the Canterbury branch of the Meat Workers’. Union (Mr W. R. Cameron) ■; said that the; workers wanted to get a full day’s work when stock was available. .Because of a requirement of the Meat Division of the Ministry of Agriculture freezingworkers were left with no work on April 10. This was a icbmmon occurrence, Mr

Cameron said, especially when lambs became wet and muddy and therefore unsuit* able for slaughter. The freezing workers, in such a situation, wanted to be paid a full day. They claimed a full day on April 10 but the management declined to pay. The workers responded by refusing to work a full- day on April 11. There had been a “dispute,” and the whole day was taken off. The management then declined to put stock out for killing on Monday unless the workers were prepared to do a full day’s killing, regardless of whatj had happened on Friday. Discussions between the parties yesterday resulted ini

an agreement to ignore the earlier stoppages. Mr Cameron said he hoped to recommend to the meeting today that the men resume killing immediately. There will then be another discussion between the workers and the management tomorrow to “try to work out some sort of formula.” The industrial officer of the works (Mr R> Hughes) said that the freezing workers were due to resume Work today. “We have stock in the yards waiting for them. If they return to work, negtiations will start. If they don’t, the stoppage will continue. Beyond that I have nothing to say.”