NO DIRECT ACTION

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 8, 10 January 1941, Page 6

NO DIRECT ACTION

VOTE AT WESTFIELD

WORK DELAYED

(By Telctrraph — Tress Association.) AUCKLAND, January 9. No major slaughtering operations were carried out at the Westfield freezing Avorks this afternoon and all departments were idle until 3.30 p.m. Avhile a mass meeting of employees was held and a secret ballot taken in connection Ay.th the 140 chamber-hands who Avere dismissed last Friday foi- refusing to work in city cool stores on Sundays. The ballot resulted in a majority of more than 300 voting against any direct action being taken in support of the chamber-hands. The stoppage of work, created a serious interruption in slaughtering operations, and it was stated by the management that more than 5000 lambs and a considerable number of pigs and cattle had to be left overnight in the stock-pens. The company had planned to handle about 10,000 lambs in the course of the day, and as a result of the accumulation of stock, the drafting of lambs from the Waikato for Saturday has had to be cancelled. OVERTAKING ARREARS. The management stated that the condition of the stock held overnight would deteriorate and it would not be possible without working overtime in the future to overtake the arrears of work. The meeting, which commenced at 12.30 p.m. and lasted till 1.45, was held to receive reports from union representatives on the negotiations conducted the previous day. The employees were also addressed by a representative of the chamber-hands. A resolution to the effect that in view of the present critical times no action be taken was submitted to a secret ballot. While it # was being conducted in the various departments, the employees did not resume work, and many of the younger workers and girls spent the interval of about 90 minutes in playing impromptu tennis and cricket games in the yards. At 3.15 p.m. the result of the ballotwas declared as follows: —For the resolution 644; against 342. Majority in favour of no action being taken, 302. ! The result was received without any demonstration, and work was resumed almost immediately in most of the departments. Slaughtermen on the mutton and beef floors, involving about 220 men, decided not to resume work until the morning. A team of pig slaughtermen commenced work, however, and when operations ceased for the day there were only a few hundred pigs held over. The management stated that approximately 1300 Avorkers Avere concerned in the stoppage of work, this number including the staff hands and overseers. It Avas computed that about £600 Avas lost in Avages to the employees through the stoppage. AT OTHER WORKS. At the Southdown freezing works a similar meeting was held and all departments, employing about 450 men, were idle till nearly 2 p.m. The meeting decided to send two delegates to watch events at the Westfield meeting. The management stated that stoppages of work over two days, in which two hours' work were lost, had resulted in 1200 lambs and about 600 pigs being carried over. It Avas stated by union officials that a further mass meeting of Southdown workers is to be held tomorrow when it is expected that the employees will hold a ballot on a resolution similar to the Westfield one. At the Horotiu works the employees held a lunch-hour meeting which extended for about 20 minutes beyond ihe usual hour for resuming work. It was stated that delegates submitted a report which was adopted after some discussion.