BACK TO 1931

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 163, 22 June 1936, Page 6

BACK TO 1931

FREEZING WORKERS. DISPUTE OVER;" Old Award To Come !nb Force Agam. TEN THOUSAND MEN AGREE Ti'ess Association —Copyright. Wellington, June 2,1. Complete agreement \/c. reached late an Saturday night in the Dominion, meat freezing industry dispute heard at Wellington before the newly-appointed conciliation commissioner, Mr. M. J. Reerdon. The effect wil be that as from July 1 next employee in 'he freezing industry throughout New Zealand will revert to the conditions and wages as in their 1931 awards and agreements. Where clauses were .greed on during the three days' sitting these will be embodied in tlie 1931 conditions, but where no agreement has been reached the 1931 conditions wil' apply The Arbitration Court will not be asked to deal in any way with rates oi pay, hours of labour or working conditions, but will be asked to determine after hearing argument vyhethei the payments provided for by the recent legls- : lation should be taken into account in j calculation of the 1931 rates, when no, holidays were paid for. "The agreement as it stanas now,'' Mr. | Reardon said, "challenge in importance; the agreement recently arrived at by the. Minister of Public Works in the standardisation of Public Works rates of pay. , There are mare than 10.000 men em'pli>yed m th meat freezing industry and the agreement covers every works from Whangare: to the Bluff."

The terms of the agreement are disclosed in the following statement by the employers: "The employers understand that they, in common with other employers, will be obliged to pay as from July 1. 1926. the 1931 rates of pay. and are therefore cound to :cep' this position. This is subject .to the ques'.icn of rates being left to the court, for the reason that the legislative provisions in regard to payments for statutory holidays, extra payments for junior labour, the basic wage and other factors may be taken into account in adjustment of the 1931 rates. The employers desire to reserve any rights they .may have in this connection. "The 1931 conditions are to be taken as a basis with the following reservations: The employers are prepared to accept the agreement already arrived at with regard to certain clauses, and they desire improvements .in the general drafting of the clauses. This, of course, is without prejudice to the right of either party to discuss and amend certain clauses to which at present exception is taken." The attitude of the employees is summed up in the following statement: "The applicants accept as a basis of settlement the principle i of full restoration of the 1931 rates and other conditions of employment, but do: not accept the claims of the employers that payment for holidays should be taken into consideration in determining the actual rates to be paid. The applicants also claim that they are entitled to a 40-hour week and the consequential adjustment of the rates of pay, which will bring the workers' 3arnings for a -10-hour ,vcek to the level existing under the 44-hour week."

A drafting committee v -as set up for the purpose of embodying the terms of the agreement in a new set of clauses to be incorporated in the award. At" the conclusion of the sitting the Auckland Abattoir Assistants' Union was added as a party, to the dispute, this giving them the same standing.