DAIRY FACTORY WAGES NEW SCHEDULE OF REDUCTIONS.

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 26 August 1933, Page 5

DAIRY FACTORY WAGES

NEW SCHEDULE OF REDUCTIONS.

TARANAKI MANAGERS’ OPPOSITION.

Contending that the new schedule of reduced wages for dairy factory managers and employees in Taranaki was too drastic, a meeting of 59 managers at Stratford last evening set up a committee to interview the executive of the Taranaki Employers’ Association with a view to haring it modified. It was stated that a number of directors of companies were under the erroneous impression that the managers had agreed to the new schedule, and others thought the schedule was the result of an award of the Arbitration Court. " ‘‘We have met to discuss- the new schedule of salaries brought down by the employers,” said the chairman, Mr W. Taylor (Stratford). “The cuts will fall drastically on some of our men, and we may be able to get the employers to meet us in some way. At a time when we are making every effort to help the industry the cuts come as a kick that is not encouraging.’’ Mr Taylor went on to trace differences in ‘the 1928 schedule as compared with the latest one brought down by the union and stressed the large margins shown. The staff had been cut by 10 per cent, in some cases more, while the managers had been reduced bv about 20 per cent, and those cuts were in addition to one of about 12j per cent already in force. It would probably be necessary to find what companies were adopting the new schedule before the managers could appoint a committee to meet the executive of the Employers’ vnion.

Mr L. Taylor, a member of the Dominion executive of the Factory Managers’ Association, said the . executive had never been asked to discuss the new schedule- with the Employers’ Union. The executive had not known of the alteration in the tonnage, on which basis the .salaries were fixed, which made the cuts much heavier. “Are the companies imposing the n.ew schedule?” one man asked. “Are they what?’ retorted another. The list of companies was checked and of 24 represented it was shown that 23 companies had adopted the .schedule and 11 had not.

“Some of the directors think the managers approved of the .schedule, and further, some of them think it is an award of the Arbitration Court,” Mr W. Young said. “They have the wrong idea, hut they do not know it.” The special committee elected to meet the union was Messrs W. Taylor, F. Pedersen and J. Thomson.