MEAT WORKS HOLD-UP

Evening Star, Issue 25070, 11 January 1944, Page 4

MEAT WORKS HOLD-UP

MEN BACK AT WORK STRIKERS TO BE PROSECUTED (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 10. The slaughtermen who have been on strike at the North Canterbury Sheep Farmers' Co-operative Company's meat works at Jvaiapoi since Tuesday afternoon resumed work at 8 o'clock this morning, pending the hearing of th«» dispute by a tribunal. An official statement says that at a meeting of the slaughtermen the following resolution was carried unanimously :—" We slaughtermen of the Jvaiapoi freezing works have decided' to resume work pending a quick settlement of our dispute through the channels offered by the Minister of Labour. AVe take this action solely in an endeavour to accede to the wishes of the majority of the members of our branch of the union, and we are not influenced in our decision in any way by the threats of prosecution or other outside influences."

In accordance with the Government's decision to prosecute the strikers, the cases against the 33 men have been set down for hearing in the Magistrate's Court at Christehurch on January 18. The summonses were served on the slaughtermen at the works this afternoon. The Minister of Labour, Mr Webb, said this evening that action would still be taken against,the slaughtermen although they had returned to work. A tribunal would be set up to consider the dispute, and the workers and the employers would be asked to nominate three representatives each. If they could not agree on a chairman he would pro'bably ask the Conciliation Commissioner, Mr S. Ritchie, to preside. The slaughtermen went on strike because they claimed that one of their members had been victimised. This man, who was in the Army when he was directed to employment in the freezing industry, was arrested .in Christehurch yesterdav on a charge ot being absent without leave, and will be taken back to Trentham. He had been ordered by the National Service Department in 'Wellington to leave camp at Trentham and report in Chirstchurch for employment in the freezing industry. There was no vacancy for him at the Kaiapoi works, and normally he would have returned to the Army unless directed elsewhere.