FREEZING DISPUTE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17650, 10 December 1920, Page 6

FREEZING DISPUTE.

OFFER TO THE WORKERS.

EXTENT OF THE INCREASES.

EMPLOYERS' LAST WORD.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

WELLINGTON'. Thursday. The committee of the Freezing Companies' Association", after considering the replies received from various companies in connection "with the demands of the Employees' Federation for increased rates of pav, has forwarded the following letter to"Mr. Nia.ll, federation secretary:— '• We duly received your letter of the 7th inst., together with a statement of the minimum of rates which your committee is prepared to discuss with the freezing companies. We would point out that we are prepared to grant to all pieceworkers an increase of 20 per cent, on the 1919 agreement rates, as it is precisely the same as the companies have offered since the commencement of the negotiations. With regard to time workers, we draw your attention to the fact that the increases stated by you as a minimum vary from 25 per cent, to 30 per cent., whereas the companies have already offered 22£ per cent. It will be evident, therefore, that you are discriminating against piecework. As the companies' original 'offer provided an increase to the fullest extent that could have been granted

by the Arbitration Court in October and considerably in excess of what the Court would grant to-day, the Freezing Companies' Committee cannot accept such increases to time workers as you request. Any suggestion that the offers made by us in October do not cover later increases in the cost of living that may have been ascertained since that date, is fully met by the companies' proposal that any variations in the cost of living would be dealt with by a corresponding adjustment in wages every three months. The foregoing represents the unanimous opinion of the Freezing Companies' Committee after consulting all the companies in the Dominion, and we must further notify you that unless the companies' generous offer of S) per cent, and per cent., as detailed in our letter of November 1, is accepted before noon on Saturday, 11th inst., that offer must be considered as withdrawn, and the whole question referred to the Arbitration Court-, all our offers being without prejudice to any ruling of that Court."