SLAUGHTERMEN'S STRIKE

Evening Star, Issue 25067, 7 January 1944, Page 4

SLAUGHTERMEN'S STRIKE

AN AEORTIVE CONFERENCE MAY SPREAD THROUGH WORKS (l\A.) CHIUSTCHUUCH, Jan. C. The strike of slaughtermen at the Kaiapoi works oC the -North Canterbury Sheep Farmers' Co-operative Company Ltd., which began on Tuesday afternoon, was not settled to-day. Officials of the National Service and Labour Departments addressed a meeting of all the workers this morning, and after a conference between the officials and | representatives of the strikers and the company the strikers decided to meet again to-morrow morning. At present only the 37 slaughtermen at the works are on strike, the other workers having been advised by the Kaiapoi branch of the North Canterbury Freezing Workers' Union to report for work until to-morrow. The president of the branch, Mr S. A. Miller, in a statement this afternoon, said, however, that the strike was expected to spread to other departments of the works to-morrow. Mr Miller said that work had ceased because the slaughtermen claimed that one of their number, a union official, had been victimised. The man concerned had been ordered by the National Service Department in Wellington to leave camp at Trentham and to report to Christchurch for duty at the freezing works. The manager of the company, Mr N. S. Wyber, had said that he would oppose this direction, stating no reasons. Later, in answer to union officials, he said he had no job available. " This man is an experienced chain slaughterman, and inexperienced learners have since been engaged on the chain and will possibly lower the men's earnings," said Mr Miller. "The men object to new hands being put on when experienced men are available, and claim that this man lias been refused a start on account of his. union activities." Commenting on Mr Miller's statement, the manager of the company, Mr Wyber, said the man referred to had not been directed to the works by the man power authorities. The company did not require his services, as it had experienced men doing his particular job. Mr Wyber added that there would be no difficulty with the 3,000 lambs waiting to be killed, as they were being well cared for with plenty of feed and water.