LAMBS ONE BY ONE

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 97, 19 January 1926, Page 8

LAMBS ONE BY ONE

SLAUGHTERMEN'S SQUEEZE

MOTIVE IS “FAIRLY OBVIOUS”

OTHER WORKERS HIT

The “go slow” in certain of tiie meat freezing works is n puzzle to many people. In view ot the facts given below, the lolly as well as the unfairness of the step taken to force the hands of the meat freezing companies is apparent.

The secretary of (lie Canterbury Freezing Workers’ Union recently' stated that “he could not say how long the men were prepared to continue diniinished killings. He had not heard any mention of a strike.”

Opinions may differ as to the exact relationship between the act of striking and the act of deliberately diminishing output. But, as figures below show, the amount of unemployment ensuing not among the authors of the diminution policy, but among dependent workers, is already considerable.

Claiming the Penny—anil Afore!

Theoretically, the trouble originated

in the Arbitration Court’s cost of living pronouncement and in the Court’s mention of another penny per hour. The union’s secretary, Air. F. C. Ellis, says that the slaughtermen consider they are “rightly entitled to the increase of a penny per hour in accordance with tiie last pronouncement of the Arbitration Court, which, in Hie case of piece-workers, would work out at tiie rate of 4 per cent.” But to this the chairman of the Canterbury Farmers’ Union (Air. J. D. Hall) makes the obvious retort that “the men had no shadow of right to act as they were doing, as the Court’s pronouncement expressly exempted existing awards from ils provisions.” And tiie further retort is made that, whereas the penny j>er hour works out at a 4 per cent, increase, the increase claimed by’ the slaughtermen works out at nearer 7 per cent. The award rate is £1 16s. for lambs and £1 18s. 6d. for sheep. The slaughtermen demand an extra 2s. Cd. The employers therefore contend that the Arbitration Court’s penny per hour has no bearing on the situation and is tn any case exceeded by the demand. Air. Ellis is candid. Asked if the slaughtermen are “going slow in order to force the companies to grant the increase,” he replied: “I should say tiie answer is fairly obvious." Nevertheless, the policy of diminished output “is not a strike.”

Action—and Reaction.

The diminishing output plan—four per hour—was applied in certain freezing works in Canterbury. The employers, possibly suspecting a “divide and conquer” motive, replied by counter-measures covering all the freezing works in the district. Consequently, “all freezing companies in Canterbury have decided that, until further notice, the rate of killing at all Canterbury works shall be four per hour.” Therefore, as originally planned, the "four per hour” method meant loss of wages to the slaughtermen immediately responsible, and loss of employment to such workers as were immediately dependent on their output. But now the slaughtermen’s tactical plan has reacted on all slaughtermen (and dependent labour) in the Canterbury district. It is announced that “altogether 144 men, comprising a fair percentage of the employees, have received notice owing to the reduced output.” A policy that entails not only a partial loss of wages upon its authors, but also complete loss of employ’ment by dependent workers, is not completely popular with the latter. The number of people who are drawn into the trouble, more or less involuntarily, and in many cases who are out of their jobs through it, is an indication of the sort of reaction that springs from direct action.

Weather Influences.

Part of the plan is to squeeze owners of fat stock, so that they in turn may squeeze the freezing companies. On behalf of fat stock owners, it is declared that they will exert no such squeeze, but will endeavour to ease the position for the freezing companies by accepting terms of delayed delivery. Farmers can help materially in this way, particularly if helped by rain. Thus the weather is drawn into the conflict.

Notwithstanding that Feilding slaughtermen have initiated “four per hour,” it is hoped that the trouble will not spread in the North Island, and that in Canterbury a movement that is idling far more men than those who initiated it will presently be cancelled.

If the authors of the reduced output hope to find a compensating factor in reduced working time, they are likely to be disappointed, for instead of being given four lambs an hour, they are given a lamb every fifteen minutes, “this arrangement having the effect of detaining the butchers on the boards throughout the day.”