FREEZING DISPUTE

Grey River Argus, 15 May 1941, Page 4

FREEZING DISPUTE

BELFAST WORKS CHAIN CHANGES

NO SETTLEMENT YET.

CHRISTCHURCH, May 14.

No work was done to-day on tne slaughtering chain at the Belfast works of Thomas Borthwick and Sons (Aust.), Ltd. It is unlikely that work will be resumed to-morrow.

A call for free labour was made by the company. z It met with no response to-day. Union delegates visited the works before the starting hour.

No “picketing” to prevent any intending applicants to the company's advertisement for experienced slaughtermen was apparent later in the day. “We are not retracting,” said the company’s spokesman to-night. “We cannot accept the unreasonable terms of the men.”

Inquiries were made at the works and also in the city by investigators fur the Labour Department and the District Officer (Mr R- T. Bailey) later communicated with the Minister of Labour. Hon. P. C. Webb,

No statement has been issued giving the attitude of the Government or the Department. Mr Webb will be back in Wellington to-morrow, as he returned there by to-night’s boat from Nelson, after his West Coast vi'-'t with Mr W. Holmes.

Work on cleaning-up was carried out normally at Belfast to-day. bu* unless an early settlement of the dispute is reached, additional work-, ers will become unemployed. Stock was available in the company’s pad-.-docks lor killing, and while furtlm” deliveries have been stopped, buying negotiations by the company’s agents are still proceeding.