FREEZING WORKS DISPUTE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VII, Issue 2126, 7 December 1920, Page 7

FREEZING WORKS DISPUTE.

COMPANIES' OFFER DETAILED. Press Association. WELLINGTON, December 6. No further, progress has been made in settling the labour dispute in the freezing industry. The representative of the companies to-day stated that the companies' offer of 20 per cent, increase on piecework rates and 22$ per cent, on time rates had not been favourably entertained by the men. "I consider,'" he said, '' that ttie offer which we made before the announcement of the 9/bonus was a very reasonable one, when compared with similar increases in other industries. With the addition of the bonus offered, the award rates for our men will.be increased as follow: Piecework: Slaughtering sheep, per 100, from £1 15/-, to £2 2/-; lambs, £1 12/6 to £1 19/-; cattle, from 2/3 each to 2/8.4; skin-pullers, 6/10| per 100 skins to 8/3. The lowest-paid timework rate under the award is 1/9 an hour, and this, with the bonus, would be'' increased to 2/1.72, making 17/1.8 a day of eight hours. It should be noted that the bonus applies to all overtime work, differing in this respect from any bonus awarded by the Court of Arbitration, which bases its awards on a flat rate per week. This appears to me to be considerably in the workers' favour, as overtime is extensively worked during the season."