Threat to Holiday Racing by Dispute Over New Award

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26959, 20 December 1948, Page 4

Threat to Holiday Racing by Dispute Over New Award

PA WELLINGTON, Dec. 18 Complications which have arisen over the proceedings for a national award for racecourse employees are causing trade union officials to discuss whether all race meetings throughout New Zealand should be declared “ black,” and a serious threat to the Christmas and New Year turf carnival has developed.

The conciliation advocate for the New Zealand Labourers' Federation, Mr P. M. Butler, announced to-day that extraordinary circumstances noted yesterday afternoon had compelled the trade union movement to consider drastic action to obtain redress. Should his organisation, which is acting for several classes of racecourse workers and other unions, including those representing other groups of turf employees, be forced to take industrial action it would be unfortunate, he said, because it would be likely to coincide with the greatest holiday racing carnival

of the year. Mr Butler said the Conciliation Council had settled the racecourse employees’ award, except for trackmen’s rates, and there was a sine die adjournment to enable both sides to examine this issue. When efforts to this end failed he went to the Conciliation Commissioner’s office to inspect the papers for transmission to the Arbitration Court, and was “amazed to find inserted in a document a clause not even mentioned during the proceedings.” An inquii'y showed, he said, that a note submitted by the employers’ representative had been inadvertently included, but the employers’ representative, when telephoned by a Government official, insisted on retaining the clause, which seriously affected the workers.

Mr Butler said the Conciliation Council was again convened, but the meeting was cancelled because the employers’ representative objected to the date. The union considered this irregular, and had protested unsuccessfully to the Labour Department, in the absence of the Minister of Labour, Mr McLagan, from Wellington. As secretary of the Labourers’ Federation, he now had to announce that the national council of the organisation would consult for the purpose of deciding whether all races should be declared “ black,” and the question had also been referred to the New Zealand Federation of Labour. Mr Butler said his union, which would be helped by other unions in making the ban effective, wished the public to appreciate that it had not sought a situation which was likely to jeopardise race meetings throughout New Zealand failing a prompt settlement. \