CANTERBURY FREEZING WORKERS ON STRIKE

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 March 1947, Page 2

CANTERBURY FREEZING WORKERS ON STRIKE

Dispute Develops Over ■. Minimum Wage Question (P<Ai ) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. The minimum weekly wages having not been increased by the companies, workers in every freezing works in Canterbury, except” the Kaiapoi works, which had finished killing for the day before the employers’ decision was known, and the Smithfield works, where the meeting was held later, went on strike yesterday afternoon. About 1500 workers are affected. This is the first general, hold-up for 10 years in the freezing industry in Canterbury. Although there have been sectional hold-ups from time to time, stoppages of work in Canterbury were not frequent during the war. The last serious industrial disturbance involving all the works was two years ago, when a “go-slow” policy was followed, over the then minimum weekly wage.

Although the Minister of Labour (Mr A. McLagan) offered to set up a disputes committee under the. Strikes and Lock-out Emergency Regulations, he made it clear to the Cam terbury Freezing; Workers’ Union, through the officer in charge of the Christchurch office of the Labour Department (Mr S. E. McGregor) that the committee could only be formed if all parties first agreed to abide by the decision of the committee. There is no possibility of a settlement of the dispute over the weekend, and the condition of tne Minister’s intervention will be placed before the workers when they assemble at the works at Belfast, Islington, Kaiapoi, Fairfield, Pareora, and Smithfield at 8 a.m. on Monday for meetings. The temper of the workers is such that union officials yesterday could not give the Minister a guarantee that any unfavourable decision would be accepted. Season at Peak The ‘-'utmost gravity of the situation” was emphasised in telegrams sent yesterday afternoon on behalf of the companies to the Prime Minister (Mr P. Fraser), the Minister of Labour, and the Minister of Agriculture (Mr E. Cullen).. The intervention by the Christchurch branch of the Labour Department followed, Mr McGregor making a visit at 2.30 p.m. to the union’s office at the Trades Hall to express the concern of the Minister of Labour over the development and to offer to establish a disputes committee. The freezing season is now at its peak. The strike has come at an awkward period, the peak of the season, but as the feed position . is good, farmers are) not faced with great difficulty in holding stock on their farms. National Agreement An outline of. the negotiations between the companies and both the New Zealand Federated Freezing Workers’ Union and the Canterbury Freezing Workers’ Union leading up to the dispute was given to The Press by Mr C. G. Wilkin, secretary of the South Island Freezing Companies’ Association. “Last November an agreement was arrived at, on a national basis covering all New Zealand works, for a minimuni weekly payment of £6 a week (including the two cost-of-living bonuses) to employees in the industry, such sum to be inclusive .of overtime,” said Mr Wilkin. “Tne employers were asked at a national disputes meeting in Wellington early in March to agree to amend the agreement entered into to make the payment exclusive of overtime payments. No agreement was reached. “This question was raised locally again, in reference to Canterbury works, late last week, and the companies promised to consider the claim, and to meet the union representatives last Tuesday. At that meeting the union representatives were informed that, after consideration, the companies, so far as Canterbury works were concerned, intended to exclude, as from the beginning of the season, earnings in excess of eight hours a day for a five-day week from the computation of the minimum weekly payment, “The union representatives,, how-

ever. submitted to the employeis a claim for a weekly minimum PtoZraent of not less than the award, minimum of 3s Old an hotir, mu.n.plied by 40—£6 Is 8d a week—pius the two cost-of-living bonuses, toi each week the employees are on the emolcyers’ pay sheet, and retrospective to the commencement of the 1946-47 export season and to be exclusive of all overtime. With the cost-of-living bonuses added, this minimum pay amounted to £6 12s 9d a week. “The companies took time to consider this proposal, but could not see their, way to accede to it, and advised the union’s representative (Mr Kilpatrick) to that effect. He was informed that it was still the intention of the companies to make a minimum payment in terms of thenprevious offer —£6 a week, excluding overtime, covering works in Canterbury and to be retrospective to the beginning of the season.” Union’s Case “Workers’ representatives from each of the freezing works in Canterbury have been meeting employers in an. endeavour to secure some increase in the minimum guaranteed weekly wage in the industry,” said Messrs T. W. Russell (president of the union), S. Arnst (a member of the union’s executive), and H. G. Kilpatrick (secretary of the union) when they were interviewed. “We asked the employers on Tuesday to guarantee a full week’s work or wages at the award minimum rate of 3s 04d an hour, plus the two cost of living bonuses, bringing the wage to £G 12s 9d, which, less tax deduction, represents £5 19s 5d in the workers’ envelopes. The employers asked for time to consider the matter and to confer with companies in other parts of the country, and said that they would give an answer on Friday. “The answer of the companies was that they would not agree to any increase in the minimum weekly amount but that they would exclude overtime from the computation of this amount and make the payment retrospective to the beginning of the season.

“While this is a concession, it applies only to a limited number of workers and leaves untouched the inadequacy of the minimum wage as generally applied to all workers on the minimum rate. Attitude to Negotiations “We have been approached by the officer-in-charge of the Labour Department at Christchurch, apparently on instructions from his department, to convey to us the concern of the Minister of Labour and to ask the union if it would abide by. the decision of any disputes committee to which the question may be referred for settlement.

“We recognise that the dispute must be settled after further negotiation; but such is the temper of the workers on this question that, with the best goodwill in the world, we cannot guarantee their acceptance of any unfavourable decision. That obstacle was explained, frankly and candidly, to Mr McGregor. We are prepared to meet the employers, at any time they are ready, to discuss the position with them.”