COURT AWARD DEFIED

Evening Star, Issue 23724, 4 November 1940, Page 12

COURT AWARD DEFIED

AUCKLAND BUTCHERS MAY STRIKE DISSATISFACTION WITH ARBITRATION FINDING United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, November 3. A decision to declare a strike next week-end in the event of their wages grievances not being settled by then was reached at a special general meeting of members of the Auckland Butchers’ Industrial Union of Workers. The decision, which was reached by a secret ballot of the 230 members present, also authorised the union officials to seek a conference with the employers’ representatives in the course of this week and to report the outcome of any deliberations at a further general meeting next Sunday. If was emphasised that there is no 1 dispute with the employers, and that

the cause of the employees’ action is dissatisfaction with the wages provided for in tho new award made by the Arbitration Court recently, and which came into operation on October 28. The wages for butchers and assistants in retail shops and allied establishments were fixed at the same rates as the old award, which expired last February. A claim filed by the union sought increases ranging from £1 per week for first shopmen to 12s 6d per week for female assistants. At to-day’s meeting, which extended over two hours, it was stated that several of the large employers had heen voluntarily paying above the award rates. One firm was stated to have been paying os per week above the award rates to senior (lands and -Is per week to juniors. It was also mentioned that last week on the first pay day under the now award, another (inn had paid its employees an additional os. • Several of tho butchers employed in .singleunit shops had also received a similar increase in wages.