DIRECT ACTION

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4807, 7 July 1939, Page 5

DIRECT ACTION

MANURE WORKS' STRIKE. VIEW OF EMPLOYERS. COURT'S RULING WISHED. "The inconvenience caused farmers through the non-delivery of fertilisers is entirely due to the workers taking direct action instead of stating their case to the Arbitration Court," says a statement issued on behalf of the companies operating at Otahuhu, Westfield and Te Papapa chemical manure works where employees have been on strike for the past 10 days.

"Employers note by the most recent statement in the press that the unions invite an impartial investigation of their working conditions and that they are awaiting acceptance of the workers' proposals made on June 27 to negotiate for a settlement," continues the statement. "Grievance Against' Court." "So far as employers are concerned they consider that the workers' grievance is not against the employers but against a decision of the Arbitration Court made in October, 1938. In April, 1938, the employers made an offer of l%d increase in wages to the workers, but this they declined to accept and preferred that the question should be referred to the Arbitration Court.

"In regard to the proposal that an impartial investigation be made the employers wish to state that previous to the decision of the Arbitration Court made in October, 1938, the Court spent a full day in investigating working conditions at the three fertlisier works in the Auckland district, so it would appear that all working conditions were taken into account before the award was made. Recognising that...the workers were dissatisfied with the terms of the Arbitration Court award employers agreed to join with them in asking the Court to terminate the award as - from June 14, 1939. This was done to afford the workers opportunity of restating their case to the Arbitration Court, but. was not an admission by the employers that the wages should be increased.

"The award terminated by order of the Arbitration Court on the date mentioned and it now with the workers to refer the matter to the Arbitration Court, which is the only properly constituted impartial tribunal set up the- purpose of settling labour disputes. Employers on their part have no alternative but to accept the decision of the Arbitration Court and it is surely up to the workers to do likewise."