SLAUGHTERMEN ON STRIKE

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 31, 31 October 1929, Page 13

SLAUGHTERMEN ON STRIKE

TROUBLE AT AUCKLAND SEQUEL TO NEW AWARD Dominion Special Service. Auckland, October 30. Trouble that has arisen in the freezing works industry in Auckland through the bringing of the new award into force, with its consequent differentiation of rates for pig and other killing, developed this morning when over 100 men at , Hellaby’s freezing works and the municipal abattoirs at Westfield ceased work. The Farmers’ Freezing Company’s works, operating under rates equal to the old conditions, and the Westfield freezing works, which kill a few/pigs, are not affected. The new award, which classifies the killing of pigs as unskilled labour, came into force yesterday, and up till this morning everything at the two works affected by the strike worked smoothly. Less than an hour after work was completed this morning, however, a number of pigs was presented for slaughtering, and some “unskilled" men were engaged to do the work. The upshot was that eighteen butchers, eight gutters, and six abourers at Hellaby’s works, and twentytwo butchers and fifty-eight other workers at the abattoirs held a stopwork meeting. The secretary of the Butchers’ and Slaughtermen’s Union (Mr. W. Sill) was present. The Mayor (Mr. George Baildou), the chairman of the Abattoirs Committee of the Auckland City Council (Mr. M. J. Bennett), the town clerk (Mr. J. S. Brigham), and Mr. J. Hellaby, visited the works, and it is understood a suggestion was made by Mr. Hellaby that work should be resumed pending a conference on Friday, at which his brother (Mr. F. Hellaby), who is now in Wellington, would be present. The men, according to Sir. Sill, were agreeable to adopt this course, but the proposal was not favoured by the abattoir authorities. ■ After several hours' discussion, the men disbanded, and are still on strike. Mr. Hellaby intimated that his firm’s works would be kept open, despite the handicap that would result from the strike. “We cannot deviate from the award, which was brought into force yesterday,” he added. “The men worked without bother up till this morning, when they worked for an hour on mutton and beef. They then- held a stopwork meeting.” Statement by Mayor. “I- am sorry to find that the men have acted in the way they have done,” said the Mayor (Mr. George Baildon), to-day, after visiting the abattoirs. “I would have much preferred that the men had met the committee before going out on strike. The council must stand by the award that has been given, as they would have done had it been against them. “The abattoirs sacked a certain number of-slaughtermen, and in their place took on a certain amount of unskilled labour.”.explained Mr.. Sill. “There was no reason why the slaughtermen should not have been given the option of retaining their jobs under the new rates. The employers, however, merely said they would not have slaughtermen, as they would ‘play up’ later on. In doing that they assumed more than that to which they were entitled. The men concerned in the dispute do not know where the men brought in to start on the pigs come from. A meeting was held, and Mr. J. Hellaby suggested that further hostilities should be deferred till Friday, when a conference. at which his brother would be present, might be held. We were inclined to favourably adopt that suggestion. and Mr. Hellaby went to negotiate along the lines -suggested with the abattoir authorities. He returned with a report that the proposal was not satisfactory, and that was the end of the matter so far as the men were concerned.” • Not the Only Matter in Dispute. Mr. Sill said the killing of pigs was not the only matter involved in the dispute. The Court had reduced mutton rates for long shanks by 3s. 9d., although the employers had not asked for that. The Court had, therefore, not settled the dispute, hut had enacted legislation not asked for. When the employers’ application for a new award was made, the union had asked for an adjustment of the rates for mutton. The Court had not only refused that, but had made a reduction. “The men are still out, and are likely to stay out,” added Mr- Sill. “Although the employers will be given an oppor* tunity to negotiate with them, the employers have taken the initiative in the trouble by sacking the slaughtermen.”