Meat workers to stay on job

Press, 2 June 1984, Page 1

Meat workers to stay on job

The national campaign of freezing works’ rolling stoppages will not resume until the Meat Workers’ Union makes a decision on future courses of action. The national secretary of the union, Mr A. J. Kennedy, said yesterday that no decision had been made about further strikes, and that no date had been set for a meeting to decide what action would be taken. “There will be no further stoppages until a decision is taken,” he said. Earlier, Mr Kennedy said he was “gratified” by the Arbitration Court decision yesterday in which the Freezing Companies’ Association and

Federated Farmers failed in their attempt to have the meat workers ordered to resume full work. It was clear on the evidence that they had failed to prove their case, he said. The Court’s decision was that the meat workers’ rolling strikes did not seriously affect the economy of either the meat export industry or the country. In its decision released yesterday after a four-day hearing in Wellington from May 10, the Court found that the Freezing Companies’ Association and Federated Farmers, who had applied for a return to work order under the Com-

merce Act, had failed to prove their case. The decision, signed by Chief Judge J. R. P. Horn said, “There was virtually no evidence to suggest that the economy of New Zealand (whatever that may mean in this context) was substantially affected or likely to be in the immediate future.” The Court also said that it could not be satisfied that the effect on the economy of either industry (farming and meat export) was seriously affected by the strikes. “Farmers are getting their stock killed. Freezing companies are processing and loading out,” the Court

said. The rolling strikes in meat works had begun after meat companies had refused to accede to a union request for a joint approach to the Government to discuss wage rates and other issues. The meat companies and farmers had gone to the Court in an effort to get a return to work order. However, the Court said that “in no way, on the evidence now before us, can we find ourselves satisfied that the effect on the economy of either industry is seriously affected.” The executive director of the Freezing Companies’ Association, Mr P. D. Blom-

field, said they were disappointed at the Arbitration Court decision. “We believed the economy of the industry and the country was seriously affected by the rolling strikes,” he said. “We are disappointed and will consider next week what we will do if 'the rolling strikes continue,” he said. The acting president of Federated Farmers, Mr Peter Elworthy, said that they would also consider the position next week. “Farmers will be bitterly disappointed that the legislation apparently condones rolling stoppages in the freezing industry,” he said.