FITTERS’ DISPUTE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21925, 21 January 1946, Page 4

FITTERS’ DISPUTE

SETTLEMENT ARRANGED Following a dispute over wages and conditions, seven fitters and one black-' smith, members of the New Zealand Engineers’ Union, employed at the freezing works by the Gisborne Refrigerating Company were ready to return to work on Saturday after a three-day strike. • . Acting on instructions from tneir headquarters in Auckland, the men downed tools at noon on Tuesday. The dispute concerned a demand for a marginal rate of ninepence an hour above the lowest paid worker governed by the freezing workers’ award, and the same minimum conditions as the latter. The secretary of the Gisborne branch of the Engineers’ Union, Mr. F T. Scott, said on Saturday that fitters, despite their training and skill, were paid very little more than labourers under the freezing-workers award. As far as conditions were concerned they were" worse off, as they had to provide their own overalls and. boots. These questions had been the subject of dispute for some time, he said, and as they were no nearer a solution the union’s headquarters had called for a strike. * ~ “We have now arrived at a satisfactory basis for settlement, but this will have to be ratified by the Conciliation Council which meets at the end of this month,” Mr. Scott added. “The terms will be announced at that meeting.” ~ . .. “All that I know is that the strike has been settled pending a meeting of the Conciliation Council,” said the assistant manager of the company, Mr. J. Booth. The men were stated to have been ready to return to work on Saturday* but as the company hdd already made arrangements to carry on for the day their services were not required, n-to-day is a holiday for the fieezmg workers' picnic, the men will resume work to-morrow. _