Dispute flares at Oringi works

Press, 18 March 1982, Page 6

Dispute flares at Oringi works

PA Wellington Killing at the Oringi freezing works at Dannevirke will stop this morning after.yesterday’s strike vote by members of the West Coast branch of the Meat Workers' Union. Oringi staff who have joined the West Coast branch have refused to work alongside others who have not. Meat inspectors decided yesterday afternoon to support striking meat workers and will riot work with nonunion labour. All meat in freezing works, whether for the domestic market or for expert, must be inspected and certified by meat inspectors. Workers who want to form their own branch of the union and who constitute an estimated two-thirds of the Oringi work-force have been told to report for work. Pacific Freezing’s managing director. Mr Graeme Lowe, said that stock would be put up for killing today. If meat inspectors carried out their threat and refused to work with “non-union” labour he would ask the Ministry of Agriculture to provide other meat inspectors.

However, Ministry officials

in Wellington said yesterday it was unlikely that Pacific Freezing would find meat inspectors. “I don’t know where they, will get them from,” one said. “We are in the middle of the killing season.” The. West Coast, branch president, Mr Roger Middlemass, said after addressing his members that none would be at the plant today. “I will be there as of 7.30 a.m. to let the P.S.A. know what the situation is,” he said. The stoppage would go on “for as long as it takes.” The P.S.A. regional secretary, Mr Allan Miller, of Palmerston North, said he had been advised that Meat Workers’ Union staff would not be working today. "Meat inspectors . will come to work in the morning. . I will come as the regional secretary and I will ask Mr Middlemass if this is a union plant. If he answers in the negative, the meat inspectors will not go up on to the board,” Mr Miller said. "However, they will not go on strike, either. They will be available for work every day. They will come to this plant every day offering themselves for work. They will start work as soon as it

is a union plant. They will not work with non-union labour.” Mr Lowe said that he expected production to continue and about 230 people to turn up at work. People were determined to carry on and there was a “tremendous air of enthusiasm.” The Minister of Labour (Mr Bolger) hopes the dispute will be settled later today. He said yesterday that he had sent a conciliator, Mr L. Fortune, to Oringi on Tuesday to “assess the situation” and he had reported back yesterday. .

Mr Fortune had met workers who did not want to join the West Coast branch and would have further discussions today. “He is hopeful that by the end of the day the issue will have been resolved,” Mr Bolger said. A solution to the Oringi situation “clearly had to be in conformity with the existing law.” ’ Asked yesterday if he was saying he thought Oringi workers should join the West Coast union, Mr Bolger said, “No. I have not said that. But that is one of the options that has been discussed and will be discussed (today).”