FREEZING WORKERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23221, 19 June 1937, Page 10

FREEZING WORKERS

INTERPRETATION OF AWARD POINTS DECIDED BY COURT (Per United Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, June 18. Four interpretations in cases stated by the Disputes Committees under the freezing workers’ award were contained in reserved judgments delivered by the Arbitration Court this afternoon by Mr Justice O’Regan. A question was asked of the court whether “ spreaders ” working on sheep and lamb slaughtering ch ins at freezing works should be paid out of the chain pool earnings. Answering the question in the affirmative, the court observed: “ In this case the award is based on an agreement of the parties and we are satisfied that negotiations proceeded on the assumption that the men employed in the use of ‘ spreaders,’ though not expressly mentioned, were included in the ‘ chain.’

The court answered in the negative a question whether “ trimmers ” employed in the killing and dressing of pigs should be paid out of the earnings of the pig team pool, and answered in the affirmative a similar question in regard to “ shacklers.”

Another question raised was whether watchmen regularly employed in freezing works were entitled to be paid extra for the hours of their weekly watch which fell on Sundays, and this the court answered in the affirmative The court was also asked to decide whether slaughter house assistants were entitled to their guaranteed minimum day’s pay of 8s for N n w Year’s Day, plus the full holiday payment of ICs 8d for the s me day The union's claim was a total of £ 1 4s 8d per man for this particular day on which no work whatever was performed Answering the question in the negative the court stated its opinion “ tha* the holiday payment of 18s Od constitutes the worker’s earning for the holiday and is included in the minimum guaranteed wage of £2. 8s (per week) ”