FREEZING WORKS DISPUTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3624, 28 August 1923, Page 25

FREEZING WORKS DISPUTE.

OTAGO STANDS OUT. CHRISTCHURCH, August 24. In the Arbitration Court to-day, in the matter of a dispute between the Canterbury freezing works employees (bacon workers’ section) (Mr F. C. Ellis) and the employers (Mr F. V. Sanderson), an award was made in lhe terms of an agreement reached before the Conciliation Council. It was decided, however, to delay filing the award until a similar case has been heard in the AVellington district. Mr Sandersoa said that the employers in the trade desired a dominion award. Complete agreements had been reached in Auckland, Wellington, Taranaki, and Canterbury, and the only districts that had not been settled yet were Marlborough and Otago and Southland. These districts had been instructed to accept the conditions of the award made in the other districts, but the Otago Union had failed to put in an appearance before the Conciliation Council when a conference was called. It seemed regrettable that a dominion award should be barred through the action of one union. His Honor said that Otago was justified in doing what it did, and it would be unwise to use the desire for a dominion award as a means of forcing an award on another district. Otago could not be dragged in at the tail of a dominion award. The employers were not a registered association in the dominion, and therefore they could not apply for a dominion award. It did not matter much, however, as the court had made identical awards in each district. As for the Otago Union, it did not come in for consideration at the present. It waa standing out, and was quite entitled to do so. When a dispute came up for hearing in Otago a good case would have to be put up to show that the conditions there demanded different provisions from that of the rest of the dominion.