FREEZING AWARD

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 230, 28 August 1929, Page 2

FREEZING AWARD

ALLEGED BREACH. CASE AT FEILDING. (Special to “Standard.”) FEILDING, Aug. 28. The question as to what constituted necessary essential preparatory work came before the Magistrate’s Court at Feilding yesterday when the Wellington Freezing Workers Union claimed a penalty of £IOO from the Feilding Farmers’ Freezing Coy., Ltd., for an alleged breach of the freezing workers award. Mr R. M. Watson, S.M., was on the bench, while Mr P. J. O’Regan appeared for the union and Mr L. A. Elliott for the defendant company. In outlining the case Mr O’Regan said that these proceedings were only taken after every other means to obtain redress had failed. The history of the case was that the award previously in force stated that overtime could not be earned until eight hours’ work had been put in, but under the new award the hours of work were fixed at eight, including “smoko,” on week days and four hours, including “smoko,” on Saturdays. The case in question concerned itself with the chamber men who were put on the job of “railing in” carcases to the loading chamber from as early as 6 a.m. and were kept at the work until 7.30 a.m. Mr O’Regan traversed the working of the previous award in relation to this section of the work and pointed out that in the whole industrial district of Wellington, which embraced the whole of the southern part of the North Island, the Feilding freezing works and one other were the only two works where the award was not carried out in its full sense. All the other works paid the men 6d per hour extra for this class of work. The practice of the Feilding Coy. had been one of exceeding irritation to the men, and only by the assurance that these proceedings -would be taken had the men been kept at work and not broken the award by downing tools.

ARBITRATION COURT’S RULING. The Magistrate asked why the matter had not been referred to the Arbitration Court for a ruling, and Mr O’Regan reminded the Magistrate that at the outset he had stated that the proceedings were only taken before this Court after other means of redress. including the Arbitration Court, had failed. Mr O’Regan then read the ruling of the Arbitration Court on the complaint in wnich it was stated that it was a question of fact as to what constituted necessary essential preparatory work. Evidence was tnen called. TERMS OF THE AWARD.

Alexander McLeod, district secretary of the Freezing Workers Union, in evidence said that under the old awaid the employer had the right to call the men out any time between midnight and midnight for eight hours work before any overtime could be paid, ror this work of “railing in” the men received 6d per hour in addition to the award rates of pay. Under new awaid which came into force in November the practice was different and all the works in the Wellington district except the Wellington Meat Export Coy. and the defendant company at b ending paid overtime rates for work done before 7.30 a.m. and after o p.m. The rate of payment was time and aquarter for the first two houis an< 1 time and a half thereafter. Until this new award came into force the union had no cause for complaint against the defendant company. To Mr Elliott, witness said that no complaint had been received from the cooling room hands. The complaint came from the chamber hands and these proceedings were brought on their behalf only. He agreed that to remove the carcases from the cooling room the cooling room men and the chamber men had to work together. To the Magistrate: The company should have the facilities which would enable them to cool off carcases within a reasonable time, say, from four to five hours." This would obviate the early morning working. TIME OF COMMENCEMENT.

Ernest Samuel Fisher, freezing chamber hand at Feilding, said that under the previous award he received 6d per hour extra for “railing in,” but nothing under the new award. The work was unable to commence sometimes before 6 a.m., but not before that hour this season In other seasons they had been called upon as early as 4.30 a.m. In the season anything up to 3000 caicases, probably more, were put through the chamber. He considered a suffcient number of carcases from the day’s kill could be put in the. chamber after allowing a reasonable time for cooling off. . To Mr Elliott: The “raihng-in occurred every day during the busy part of the season except Saturday when the kill was put in direct. It 3UUU sheep were killed during the day he would say that about 1500 could be railed in before the day’s work ceased. It was not possible to put the whole of the day’s kill into the freezing cnamber the same day as they were killed. To Mr O’Regan: There was no reason why 1000 carcases instead of the usual 500 should not be railed in at the end of the day’s work. This would save the early morning work. Even during the busy season it would be possible to rail in enough carcases to save the early work. Dugald McDonald said that for the la:st 16 or 17 years he had been a freezing chamber worker. If 3000 carcases were a day’s kill, and they hung for four or five hours, about half the day’s kill could be raised in. The meat was certainly better if hung for a few hours and was also easier to bag. Witness considered the railmgin” in the morning not necessary. It was convenient perhaps, but not necessary. What was not railed in in the afternoon could be done after 7.30. NUMBER OF CARCASES HANDLED. 8o Mr Eliott: He was surprised to hear that the Feilding works had dealt with’ 3900 carcases in one day during the season. He had had a wide experience of cooling chambers in various works and, although he could not say anything about the strength of the local plant, he could say that it mus the a very good one as it was run at the lowest temperature he had ever worked in. To the Magistrate: It was better to cool the carcases before they were put into the chamber because sometimes hot carcases affected the temperatures of the chamber. William McElvane, an employee of the Waingawa freezing works, detailed the method of employment at those works, stating that if “railingin” was done before 7.30 a.m. overtime was paid. Arthur Laurenson, chamber hand at Belfast, Canterbury, stated that the men at those works were paid overtime for any work they did before 7.30 a.m. „ This closed the case for the union. CASE FOR COMPANY. Mr Elliott contended that the whole caso hinged on whether it was necessary, esesntial, preparatory work. Different companies had different plant

and the Feilding Company could not put partly warm carcases into the chamber, as owing to the strength of the plant there was a grave danger of what was termed “snow” falling and so causing mildew on the carcases. Herbert Sim, head of the slaughtering board, said thta about 3200 lambs comprised the capacity of the cooling room, but a lot depended on the size of the carcases. During the season just short of 4000 would be a big day’s killing. He considered that the practice of clearing the cooling room each morning was necessary, essential, preparatory work. The carcases could be put away the same day as they were killed, but it w-ould not bo good practice. . , To Mr O’Regan: About one-sixth or one-seventh of the day’s kill was put into the chamber tire same day. It, was not possible to pur more in because the freezing power was not capable of dealing with it. A carcase should hang about 12 hours before it went into the freezing chamber, but under different climatic conditions the practice differed. Saturday’s kill was not always put into the chamber the same day. . To the Magistrate, witness denied that the men were employed all the season “railiug-in” before 7.30 a.m. The company obviated this as much as possible. CAPACITY OF COOLING ROOM. Harold Gavin, engineer to the Feilding Freezing Company, stated that the capacity of the cooling room was about 3000 lambs. It v.ould not be practicable in lus opinion to put half the day’s kili in the chamber on the same day. The chamber was not of sufficient capacity and the temperature would rise bevonrf control and damage would be done to the meat by dripping. During the off season certain stock killed on the same day had been put in. The reason why the Feilding works operated their freezing chamber at such a low temperature was because of the lor.g railage of about 100 miles to Wellington, it was the longest railage of any company in New Zealand. it would be a big expense to extend the cooling chamber, and witness would not say that the expense was justified. To the Magistrate, witness admitted that the extension of the cooling room would obviate the early morning work and called for no great building difficulty.

GETTING COOLING ROOM READY.

Sidney A. Jarrett, foreman of the cooling floor, stated that lie had control of the killing floor except of the actual slaughtermen. It was his business to Nave the cooling room ready each morning for the fresh carcases coming from the slaughtermen and to have all the necessary work in the cooling room done. The starting hour of the men’s work varied wit a the weight of the killing during the busy period. The coming day s work would decide what hour ihe room would be cleared after a consultation between witness and the foreman of the freezing department at the conclusion of each day’s killing. There had never been any compiling from the cooling floor men to ue paid overtime for this work. During bis five years with the Feilding Company he had never seen the award not earned 01 To Mr O’Regan- The cooling chamber had to be free of carcases every morning before the day’s killing began. There had never been any complaint from the cooling floor men to be paid overtime for tins work. Witness admitted that “railing in” in the morning depended largely on cooling room space. The early morning work .lid not occur a great deal at times ether than the busy season lasting from about Lecember to March. Witness had to lime ills gang of eight to ten men ready at 8 a.m. to start on their day s work. They were fully employed during the day. In rush seasons tbs cooling room space was a bit small. It would still be necessary, however, to •‘rail in” even if the room was extended A change in the present system would perhaps oDviate the early morning work. To Mr Elliott, witness said that tne “railing in” was a small part of the men’s work. Their main job was to help the butchers. If the freezing chamber men did the wholo of the work of tire chamber, including the "railing-in,” as was done at the Tmlay works at Wanganui, and with the extension of the cooling floor, the early work could perhaps be done away with. This concluded the evidence, Mr Elliott explaining that a witness could not be present and he suggested that his evidence be taken in Wellington. Mr O’Regan said lie could not agree to this, and the Magistrate also pointed out that he might w-ant to question him. The further hearing on the case w-as adjourned tUI September 10.