ALLEGED BREACH OF AWARD

Otago Witness, Issue 3898, 27 November 1928, Page 36

ALLEGED BREACH OF AWARD

FREEZING WORKS DISPUTE. MAGISTRATE FINDS AGAINST UNION. CHRISTCHURCH. November 19. An interesting reserved judgment relating to an alleged breach of award by an employer in the meat business wag delivered in the Magistrate’s Court today by Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M. It was alleged that a breach had occurred at the Pareora freezing works, and the crux of the matter was whether or not the wife neck sets provided by the employer were or were not in a dangerous and insanitary condition. The Canterbury Freezing Workers and Related Trades’ Union (Mr W. J. Hunter) claimed to recover from the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company (Mr Thomas) £lO for a breach of its award m failing to pay slaughtermen for two and three-quar-ter hours waiting time for the period from 8 15 am. to 11 aim. on April 16, 1928. On April 16 the men refused to work with the neck sets which had been issued in place of the neck strings, and two and three-quarter hours of time were lost be fore the question was decided. ' in his reserved judgment the magistrate stated that the union had failed to prove that the company had been guilty of a breach of the award. The union contended that the men were justified in refusing to work on the ground that the neck sets provided by the company were insanitary and thereby created a "danger to the workmen. The evidence satisfied the magistrate that the real reason why the men ceased work was because they objected to the use of neck sets instead of neck strings, and not that the neck sets u ere insanitary and a danger. Ho was satisfied that the neck sets actually placed by the defendant company for use by the men were not insanitary and did not therefore constitute a menace if used with reasonable care.

Judgment was given for the defendant company, the question of costs beimr held over. °