RACE MEETINGS MAY BE DECLARED BLACK: INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22824, 20 December 1948, Page 6

RACE MEETINGS MAY BE DECLARED BLACK: INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE

(P.A.)

WELLINGTON, Dec. 18.

Complications which have arisen over the proceedings for a national award for racecourse employees are causing trade union officials to discuss whether all race meetings throughout New Zealand should be declared “black,” and a serious threat to the Christmas and New Year turf carnival has developed.

The Concilation Council advocate for the New Zealand Labourers’ Federation, Mr. P. M. Butler, announced today that extraordinary circumstances noted yesterday afternoon had compelled the trade union movement to consider drastic action to obtain redress.

Should his organisation, acting for several classes of racecourse workers and other unions including those representing other groups of turf employees, be forced to take industrial action it was unfortunate he said, that this was likely to coincide with the greatest holiday racing carnival of the year. “Amazing Discovery’'

Mr. Butler said the Conciliation Council had settled the racecourse employees' award cxcent trackmen's rates and there was a sine die adjournment to enable both sides to examine this issue.

When efforts failed he went to the Conciliation Commissioner’s office to inspect the papers for transmission to the Arbitration Court and was “amazed to find inserted in a document a clause not even mentioned during the proceedings.”

An inquiry showed, he said, that a note submitted bv the employers’ representative had been inadvertently included but the employers’ representative when telephoned by n Govrnment official insisted on retaining the clause, which seriously affected the workers.

Mr. Butler said the Conciliation Council was again convened but the meeting was cancelled because the employers’ representative objected to the date. The union considered this irregular and had protested unsuccessfully to the Labour Department in the absence of the Labour Minister, Mr. A. McLagan, from Wellington. At a Christmas Party

Mr Butler said he was told that one departmental official was not available and then discovered that the official was attending a departmental Christ mas party

As secretary of the Labourers’ Federation lie now had to announce that the national council of the organisation would consult for the purpose of deciding whether all races should be declared “black" and the question had also been referred to (he New Zealand Federation of Labour. Mr. Butler raid the union, which would be helped by other unions in making the ban effective, desired the public to appreciate that it had not sought a situation likely to jeopardise race meetings throughout New Zealand failing a prompt settlement.