WESTFIELD HOLD-UP

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 125, 20 February 1941, Page 8

WESTFIELD HOLD-UP

Girls Protest Against Working Conditions

(Bi Telegraph -Press Association.) AUCKLAND, February 19.

Some 290 girls employed in Hie cannery depart men! at. the West field freezing' works ceased work at noon today as”a protest, against their working conditions. They held a meeting which lasted about two hours and resumed work at 3 p.m. on the understanding thtil their grievances would be brought before the management by the works delegates of the Auckland Freezing Workers' Union. No official statement was made on behalf of the girls, but. it is stated that there lias been an acceleration of canning plant recently and the girls com plain that Hie speed is too exhausting and that they cannot keep pace with the increased rate of oiitetit aimed til. Commenting on lite stoppage, the manager at. West field, Mr A. G. Ridley, said Ihe girls stopped work with only two minutes’ notice to the foreman and left some cans iinsterilized and others with meat in unsealed. They resumed work without any explanation whatever

There lias been slight acceleration recently, he said but it had hard no appreciable effect on the output. This was in no way tin? fault of the girls, however, as a number of new members of the staff were being trained