A LABOUR TROUBLE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 18286, 23 December 1919, Page 6

A LABOUR TROUBLE.

DIFFICULTY AT ABATTOIR. CHRISTMAS MEAT TRADE SUFFERS. There is every prospect that the publio may have to go short in their Christinas joints as the result of a hitch with the slaughtermen at the city abattoir, whore all city meat supplies have to he killed. The trouble has arison owing to the refusal of the slaughtermen .to work overtime or engage in killing if casual labour is employed. Although work is proceeding there is so much stock to ho killed that a meat shortage is certain unless overtime is worked, and casual labour employed. The root of the trouble is the demand of the slaughtermen for more money. Their award has expired, and negotiations aro in progress for a new agreement. The dispute is said to turn on the price of killing sheep. The Abattoir Committee has offered 355, and the men demand 38s. The conv mittee has offered £4 os a week, ana tho men demand £4 10s. Meanwhile it is alloged, the men aro putting the screw on through the butchers and the public. The bn tellers aro suffering more or less severely, and their complaints are loud. There was a late market at Addington on Thursday, and thero was heavy buying, especially of lambs, for the Christmas trade. One big firm of butchers 6ent a couple of its own men out to the abattoir,_ and they wero killing all day on Friday, but on Saturday the permanent hands threatened to stop work if this casual labour was kppt on, and they persuaded tho men not to continue. The consequence is that large numbers of milk lambs, which go back rapidly m condition after leaving their mothers, have been turned out into the paddocks, and a heavy loss is entailed on tho butcherß. One butcher asserts that he got no meat from, the abattoir last week. Another prominent butcher was sold out of mutton at 11 a.m. on Saturday. He stated yesterday that there wero 2000 lambs to be killed between then and to-day and the position was impossible. Ho expressed the opinion that after the present trouble was over a fight might be looked for, and it would be better for the butchers to close their shops for a week and have the matter settled once and for all. Mr Cuthbert Harpfer, _ chairman of the City Council’s Abattoir Committee, speaking to a “Lyttelton Times” reporter, said that there had been a'very big market at Addington on Thursday, and the men had to kill the lambs as they came in. The heavy buying meant that many butchers got less killed than they had ordered. Tho men at the abattoir had not. gone slow, and were now catching up on. their work, but they were preventing any casuals from being employed during the rush time on tho plea that they would be “scabbing. The committee had been conferring with the slaughtermen for some time on the question of wages- So far they had been on a weekly wage, but they wero now asking for piecework rates, and tho committee had no objection. The men’s demands wore as follows:—•

Sheep and lambs, 38s per 100. Cattle, 2s 4d a head. Calves lip to 2001 b, Is od. Calves over 2001 b, beef rates. Pigs up to 1201 b, Is 3d. Pigs, 1211 b to 2001 b, Is 9d. Pigs over 2001 b, Is per 1001 b. Tho committee’s offer to them was:— Sheep and lambs, 35s per 100. Cattle, 2s a head. Calves, Is 3d per head all round. Pigs up to 1201 b, Is. Pigs 1201 b to 2001 b, Is 6d. Pigs over 2001 b, Is 9d. -Alternatively a weekly wage of £4 5s was offeree!, but the men asked for £4 10a. Mr Harper pointed out that tho new freezing works award, which was made in April, and came into force in August, fixed the rates paid to freezing work slaughtermen at 85s for sheep and 32s 6d for lambs, and it was admitted that freezing works work was intermittent, as the season extended ever only six months, during four months of which the men were going “at top-” For this reason tho rates were higher than in other industries where the work was more permanent. The committee’s offer of 35s all round made an allowance for tho long shank sheep required by butchers. The men had declined the offer, and the committee had recommended them to go to the Arbitration Court, as any increase would have to be passed on to the butchers. Meanwhile there was no report from tne abattoir, and although the men were not going slow there was no doubt that if they would not allow extra casual hands to work, butchers' orders would have to be cut down.

CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSION. FURTHER NEGOTIATIONS AGRJSED ON. The matter was discussed in tho City Council last night, when Councillor Harper, in bringing down the Abattoir Committee's report, said that there was no doubt that there was trouble aUthe abattoir; but the rates offered by the ooinmittea were very iair, and an increase on previous rates. Tho rate for sheep and lambs was higher than the rate for the intenni;tent work at tile freezing works. The difficulty at the abattoir was duo to the refusal of the men to allow casual men to bo. employed, but aJthough such men. had been engaged by the foreman they would not start work,, and his own opinion was that the permanent men had induced them to behove that if they started work they would be " scabbing." Councillor H. Hunter moved that tho report should be referred back to the committee with a recommendation that the men should be paid £4 10s, or ods per 100. This, he said, v\as on the lines, of tho conditions in Auckland and Wellington. As for freezing rates, tho men received double. rates for unshorn sheep, and were not called on to do ' long-snanking. The men were asking a reasonable rate, and it should bo conceded. "We don't want to start a conflagration," Councillor Hunter added. " iiieso things are easy to start, out very hard to stop once the match is axjplied. Thoy are like a prairie lire." Councillor i>. G. Sullivan, in seconding the motion, said that tho wages in Auckland and Wellington were £4 10s, and the Arbitration Court would proceed on these linca. The Mayor said that to concede the men's demands would create a precedent, and tho freezing works would have to fall into line. Councillor A. M'Kellar said that the conditions in Auckland and Wellington under the a«vard were that the men could bo called on to work on Sundays. At the first conference tho men had professed themselves agreeable to the first offer, bat at the second sitting the men asked for £4 10s per week, or 38s per 100. Ihe matter should be settled by the Arbitration Court, in the usual way. The committee's offer was fair, and ha believed that men working on 85s a hundred could earn £0 a week. Any further increase would bo unjustified, and for the men to tako up their present attitude, and do as they lu,d done, Avas not what should bo expected of council employees. "Do what?" asked Councillor Sullivan'.

“Go slow,” said Councillor M’Kellar. “You know they refuse to work

with men sent out to do legitimate work, and that is-not the proper attitude of men working for this council." “Do I understand,” said Councillor Sullivan, “ that the men aro going slow, and have refused to work with other men." The Mayor: That Is so. Councillor Sullivan said that he had been talking to the. secretary' of tho union (Mr F. C. Ellis), who not only assured Eim that the men were prepared 'to work with the casuals, out were prepared to try to induce the casuals to go back. i Councillor H. T. Armstrong said that ho could bear out what Councillor Sullivan had said. He supported the motionThe freezing works slaughterman could make more money in seven months than a City Council slaughterman in twelve months. _ Councillor 0- P. Agnr said that if fho matter were referred back to the committee ho would offer no objection, so long as tho recommendation was withdrawn. Councillor J. W. Reanland said that the committee's rates fthotild be adopted, and if they were unjust the Arbitration JDourb could weigh the matter. Councillor H. F. Herbert urged that the latter part of Councillor Hunter’s motion should be withdrawn. Councillor Hunter said that he would strike out his recommendation if Councillor Harper would strike out the addition to tho committee’s report that the only course loft was to refer the matter to the Arbitration Court. The Mayor said that tho work had to done, or else the people would have to rely on cool storage. The secretary of the union had tola him that he would keep the men working, but five master butchers had rung him up and oomplaTned that they could not send their men out because the permanent hands would not work with them. Every effort should Jdg made to tide the matter over, especially at this time of year, and Ills own opinion was that whatever rates were paid elsewhere should be paid in Christchurch. Councillor Harper said that he would withdraw tho clause referring to the Arbitration Court, but ho did not feel like conferring with the men while they wero adopting their present attitude. The Mayor said that thiß was understood.

“I will not confer with them,” Councillor Harper added, “ if they will noi let work go on as in normal tftnes-" He added that so far as Councillor Sullivan’s conversation with Mr Ellis was concerned, he himself had had a conference with the foreman and the men’s delegate, and he had been assured that if any other casual men were put on the permanent hands would down tools. The motion to refer tho report hack was carried without dissent.