ARBITRATION COURT

Evening Star, Issue 26029, 18 February 1947, Page 6

ARBITRATION COURT

HEARING OF BUTCHERS' DISPUTE

The hearing of a dispute between the Dunedin and Suburban Operative Butchers’ Industrial Union of Workers and the Otago Master ’ Butchers’ Association occupied the attention of the Arbitration Court—Mr Justice Tyndall, Messrs W. Cecil Prime (employers’ representative) and A. -- L. Monteith (workers’ representative)— at' its sitting this morning. Mr W. W. Batchelor appeared for the union and Mr A. S. Cookson for the employers. Mr F. C. Scrivener appeared on behalf of the objecting grocers. In objecting 'to the inclusion of grocers in the Otago industrial district as parties to the award, Mr Scrivener said that the hours of employment for o-rocers were incompatible with those of a butcher. The business of a grocer was the retailing of various lines of foodstuffs, some of which were claimed by the applicants to be butchers’ lines, but were not necessarily so. These included' certain classes of meats, such as bacon, cooked ham, pressed meats, saveloys, sausages, Belgian roll, and meat pies, although not every grocer stocked all lines. Continuing, Mr Scrivener said that the .provisions covering the closing of shops were not compatible with the needs of the public or the requirements of the industry. The court was cognisant of the eminent service given to the public by the grocery industry, and if the butchers were unable or unwilling to give a like service, then the fault was cntirelv their own, and no penalty I should” attach to the grocers. On those grounds it was asked that the grocers be struck- out from the list of parties to the award. Opening the case for the union, Mr Batchelor explained that the application was for an award for workers in retail meat shops in the Otago industrial district. Two sets of hours were claimed, from 7.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., on five days of the week. Other matters in dispute included wages, classification and rotation, the employment of boys and youths, and of casual workers, overtime, holidays, higher duties, and the supoly of certain items of clothing by the'employer.. In connection with the closing houys, of shops, the court, was asked to fix them at those at which all shops were now closed, and had been so for a number of years without inconvenience. ■Mr Cookson said that the main difficulty in the dispute related _to ; the hours” of work. The conflicting interests of beef butchers, pork butchers, delicatessens, and grocers were involved in this. It had been the custom for many years for grocers to sell some of the goods enumerated in _ the clause defining the industry, and its effect as it stood, in conjunction with the “ application of award ” clause would appear to make grocers butchers. It was urged upon the court that the award be so framed as to remove any doubt as to the extent of its application. Objection was taken to the inclusion of picnic day as a special holidav and half-days for the Dunedin Summer Show and the Dunedin Cup. With every Saturday now free there was no reason why picnic day should hot be held on a Saturday. Cup Day and the principal dnv of the Summer Show were also held on a Saturday, and could be excluded from the award. The claim for the provision of white or coloured coats and aprons and the cost of laundering them was strongly opposed, as it was considered that it imposed an additional cost on fhe, employer. The court reserved its decision.