Works to close if union acts

Press, 10 March 1984, Page 1

Works to close if union acts

PA Wellington Freezing companies will close all freezing works if the Meat Workers’ Union carries out its threat of national rolling stoppages from March 19. The executive director of the Freezing Companies’ Association, Mr P. D. Blomfield, said yesterday that if the union proceeded with strike plans, employers in the industry would refuse to put up stock for slaughter. “This would continue until the union‘gave an assurance of a return to normal work,” Mr Blomfield said. He was responding to a statement by the Secretary of the Meat Workers’ Union, Mr A. J. Kennedy, at the union’s national conference in Wanganui. Mr Kennedy said that stoppages would begin on March 19 unless the wage freeze was immediately thawed, a general wage increase was introduced from April 1, and the union was

given the right to begin negotiations with employers for a new award.

Shortly before Mr Kennedy said this, the president of the Federation of Labour, Mr W. J. Knox, addressed delegates. Mr Knox would not comment yesterday on whether the proposed action had been endorsed by the F.O.L. Mr Blomfield said that he was surprised freezing workers had adopted a militant approach on wage-fix-ing. “If they were unhappy about the discussions between the F.O.L. the Employers’ Federation and the Government, they should have taken this up with the F.0.L,” he said. The attitude of freezing workers reflected the negative stance adopted during failed national technology talks, he said. The secretary of the Auckland and Tomoana Freezing Workers’ Union,

Mr F. E. Barnard, said yesterday that his union might hold a special executive meeting in the wake of Mr Blomfield’s comments.

The executive director of the Employers’ Federation, Mr J. W. Rowe, said the timing of Mr Kennedy’s, statement was “bizarre” given the delicate position of important wage-talk negotiations. Meat workers were not to blame for cost problems in the industry, said Mr Kennedy in Christchurch last evening. Processing charges accounted for only 16 per cent of the price realised for export meat, and of the processing charges the wages component was 60 per cent. The big cost factor was undoubtedly freight, and the companies did not deny that, said Mr Kennedy. Meat workers had not had a wage increase for two wage rounds and many had suffered losses in wages through the renegotiation of incentive contracts as well as loss of income from offseason work because of the difficulties of high unemployment and competition for off-season jobs.

Workers’ costs were increasing but unlike most other sectors of the economy workers could not pass on these increases, Mr Kennedy said. Further report, page 3