MAY FORM OWN UNION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 30 November 1938, Page 11

MAY FORM OWN UNION

LABOURERS AT WORKS “GAINING NOTHING FROM DISPUTES” ! AUCKLAND. 29th November. I Claiming that they arc tired of losing ; pay from disputes in which they have j little interest and from which they ‘ stand to gain nothing, many labourers i at the Westfield Freezing Works favi our breaking away from the Freezing I Workers’ Union and forming a separate union, according to a statement toi night by a delegate of one of the dej partments at the works. Meetings had j already been held at which this action j was supported, he said. | Under the present system labourers j were being frequently called upon to stop work in sympathy with butchers, who were on much higher rates of pay. Yet the labourers were gainging nothing. A large proportion of those who voted at the meeting on Monday did so out of a sense of loyalty and did not know what they were voting about. “We are absolutely sick and tired of the petty grievances that the ‘chain’ has caused, and we want to breakaway from it,” the delegate said. "Four , or five men are at the bottom of all j the trouble at Westfield, and we are . convinced that with a union of our own I we could carry on much more smooth- | iy ” j After the meeting on Monday the j men in the department he represents held a meeting at which a proposal to break away was favoured, he added. A further meeting was held at the works to-day and was attended by labourers Horn several other departments. Nearly 100 were present. The scheme was further supported and many of those present said the other workers in their departments were of the same mind. The idea was to form a separate labourers’ union such as had existed in pre-war days. A mbecting ot labourers would be held at the works tomorrow. when the proposal would be further discussed.