MEAT WORKERS CONDITIONS

Taranaki Daily News, 22 July 1929, Page 11

MEAT WORKERS CONDITIONS

ARBITRATION COURT DECISIONS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, July 20. The Arbitration Court to-day gave its interpretation of certain provisions in the Freezing Works Companies Award in the dispute between the Gear Meat Preserving Company, New Zealand, Limited, and . the Freezing Workers’ Union, The Court, asked the following question: “When freezing chamber hands work tip till 3 p.m. and no afternoon smoke-oh has been allowed, are such chamber hands entitled to payment for 15 minutes in lieu of a smoke-oh of that duration ?” The Court’s decision was that the workers in question started work at 5 a.m. and concluded their eight hours’ work at 3 p.m. Having completed their full day’s work they were in the same position as workers ceasing an eight-hour day at 5 p.m. and were not, therefore, entitled a to the 15 minutes claimed at 3 p.m. In April last the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, Limited, Wanganui, discharged certain of its casual hands (slaughtermen’s assistants) and employed certain of the permanent officials employed in the same department, namely, a board-walker and meat graders, to do the work usually performed by slaughter-house assistants. The Court was asked if these permanent officials in the circumstances were subject to the general provisions of the award. The Court gave the following opinion: “The real question is whether a boardwalker who docs that work and contemporaneously therewith is doing a slaughter-house assistant’s work, as well as being employed as a board-walker. The answer is that ho is doing more than a board-walker’s work and, therefore, while so doing exemption as to him is lost. We answer the question in tlie affirmative.”