LATEST LABOUR UPHEAVAL.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 49, 10 February 1912, Page 5

LATEST LABOUR UPHEAVAL.

MEAT WORKERS STRIFE. THE CASE STATED. [by telegraph —special.) (Own Correspondent.) Wellington. Feb. The majority of the “hands" came out on the stroke <>f nine and left the works. Though considerable pressure was brought, it is understood, on the firemen and engine drivers to come out also, these men have so far not yielded. Should they do so it means that tons of meat will simply rot. The engine room is still providing energy and keeping the wheels revolving to a centain extent, but the knives are not Hashing (or dripping) above th-? boards.

Of the hundred employed in the

■ pullers’’ room (men who pull the wool off the skins after the skins have had a preparation put on them and who also sort wool) omy twenty remained, and these only to put through the work that had accumulated during the morning. Th'-y aver that having done so much they will not work with “scab" labour.

The eighty who left work so summarily are what are really assistant: —general labourers. This term •general labourers" covers a great number of hands employed in the work*. Meanwhile in the sweating room there are some three or four thousand pelts ready to be treated by another section of ■ pullers,’’ and if something is not done to it soon there is a liability of the skins rotting. This “sweating" is anot!“*r way of treating the pelts in the direction of stripping them of the wool. SOME CAUSES OF DISCONTENT The tinsmith*, plumbers and ail ihe men in the preserving room all. it is related, taken ‘ French leave" and gone home. The conditions in the preserving room and in the general fellmongery departments are detailed as being of an unsavoury nature. In the former the workers toil in an atmosphere of more than pervasive steam which is not altogether comfortable, but perhaps innocuous, to the general health of a strong man in the fellmongery branch. The hands’ labour hour after hour (we are so informer:) wet through to the skin or thereabouts.

The “gutty boys," too. ceased removing the off tl from the butchers whereabouts. and this was one o v ' the uncongenial tasks the clerks and bosses had to face tills morning. It was pointed out by one employee who deigned to say something. that the “general labourers’ working under the rather uncomfortable and not altogether happy rendition in the felbnongery ami preserving departments are not at all satisfied at receiving their present 'rage, of 9- or 10 - per day. while ’lie "gutty boys," who. after their recent little strike, are now all members of a contracting party, and earning up to £5 per week. It is staled that referring to that little trouble, the' “guttv boys." who. w-.* arc informed on the best authorit;., were making something like £i 11 0 per week of forty-nine hours, considered that the sub-contract ers were making too good a thing out of their labour. One authority put the weekly earning of these heads of

"sub-contracts’’ down at £io to £1: —and struck to show their disapproval of such ,a thing. The matter was pct-led by the "boys’’ all being made "sub-contractors.” and there that matter ended. Then camo the general dissatisfaction of the “general labourers” which has blossomed into a full blown strike. ADVERSE CONDITIONS. It is generally conceded that these general ‘‘hands” are working under adverse conditions —of course, it iwork someone has to do. but tin ■. contend there should be better pay and more consideration in overtime, so they are demanding time and a quarter after the ordinary eight hours day's work. A RECENT RISE. Information is current among the men to the effect that some time ago when the companies were threat ent-d (by rumour mostly, it is believed) with an appeal from the "gene •- al labourers” for more money, tlm latter received a rise of 1 - a day - from 9 - to 10 -. The men are asking now 1 3 per hour as a new maximum, with the overtime as given above.

The "general labourers’’ cause has been made that of all the "hands’ at the works. As one man said.

"the Gear Meat Works is a huge timepiece. When some little wheel goes wrong the clock stops." That simile just about fits the situation. Considerable sympathy lias been expressed locally with the "general labourers.” IN THE BUSY SEASON. The contretemps, it is stated, hibeen planned to occur right in rhe midst of the busiest season. Furl In than that, the effect of the men working for two ! fi-.-, i,.. thoroughly inconvenienced thing', a< opt rations suddenly ceased when the gei.J- and rubbish wete coll v'c. As a consequence a large mantny <>f p< • i'hal.’ie goods were impc rilled. For some rea-on not altogether in explicable, the companies, it has been n< lived, have not been receiving h: much stock at the works -> •>.<y have at this time of the Via'-. Cf Course. - u | >pl 1 i ■wii] be further < urtailc i i-r altogether blocked until th.- prest nt fmi'm The Gear Company putting through between 6t»-o ami 7000 enrcases a nay—tin larie-t output, it is said, in the Dominion. It is ruimmr' d the < -.c-tr M>-at Company has tbne nn-nth' -imp I .'. .-f meat on Lam! and that the E\i>. ri Company him .1 stibst ui- • al stipi'ly in the freezing chambcr-.

' STOPPING STOCK SUPPLIES. j ! Wht n the strike occurred a large I quantity of stock was at NgaltaurI anga awaiting slaughter. ArrangeI incuts were at unco nia-tc to send it (back to the country, and the forwarding of further supplies was also I stopped.

! The same course was adopted by t’he Gear Company, which promptly I arranged for the rotrucking of stocic i already at Petone. It lias been i roughly computed that there are about four hundred strikers at thtwo m-at works affected. while about 400 more employees have had to cease work in consequence of thstrike.

NO FRESH DEVELOPMENTS. [per press association.] Wellington, Feb. 10. So far as has been made known there are no important developments of the meat workers’ strike. At both Ngahauranga and Petone certain hands are still working, and it is stated the works could now close down at short notice without great inconvenience being caused. A mass meeting of the men was held this morning, but the result of the proceedings has not transpired. It is, however, understood that the slaughtermen will “down tools" if outside labour is employed.

The strike committee has not yet approached the employers.