New urgency to meat pay talks

Press, 18 April 1986, Page 1

New urgency to meat pay talks

By NIGEL MALTHUS An employer-imposed deadline has given a new sense of urgency to the meat workers’ award talks, which will enter their fifth day in Wellington today. The deadline arose last week when the talks came close to foundering after indications from some of the employers that they intended to try to recoup the $35-a-week pay deal negotiated at the Beehive on April 6. The crisis was resolved on April 9 by a statement from the employers that such threats were withdrawn, but that the pay-

ment of the $35 would be subject to the outstanding claims being resolved satisfactorily by today. An employers’ spokesman, Mr Paul Hemsley, could not say last evening whether that meant the employers would regard the Beehive agreement as lapsing if a settlement is not reached today.

“We are not able to answer that. When the Beehive agreement was reached, everyone’s expectation was that the matter would be wound up quickly — within a week,” he said. However, failure to settle the award today could

bring trouble from another quarter, even if the Beehive agreement remains intact. Meat workers have been angered this week to discover that the $35 was not being included in their pay packets. A brief protest walkout occurred at one Hawke’s Bay plant. The secretary of the Canterbury - Westland branch of the Meat Workers’ Union, Mr Tiny Kirk, said no adverse reaction had come from his branch members, but he warned there might be if the new rates were not paid next week. “They feel they have

been let down," Mr Kirk said. "I do not know what the reaction will be next pay day if it is not there.” However, Mr Hemsley said that the extra pay would be forthcoming only if the award was settled today. “But do not ask me what will happen if it is not settled,” he said. Mr Kirk also said that meat workers expected the rise to be backdated. Mr Hemsley said that that was the employers’ intention, but he reiterated that it depended on a settlement However, Mr Hemsley said the employers were

“hopeful and confident” of a settlement today. He confirmed that the introduction of shift work and an agreement on new technology were the important outstanding issues, though “not the complete portfolio of employers’ claims.” “It is a matter of refining positions,” he said. The Press Association reports from Wellington that another important factor today will be the position of the northernbased Freezing Workers’ Union, which represents northern workers who refused to be part of a $35 Beehive deal.

All along, that union has insisted on 15.5 per cent on basic award rates. Yesterday, the union secretary, Mr Trevor Kelly, declined to say whether the union would finally accept the $35, assuming that the southernbased Meat Workers’ Union had negotiated an agreement. It would be up to the negotiators on the spot, he said. However, he also said that the $35 increase was ridiculous. The union had not considered what its options would be if no settlement was reached, he said.