FREEZING WORKS STRIKE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18538, 8 April 1930, Page 11

FREEZING WORKS STRIKE.

FULL BOARD AT FINEGAND. GO-SLOW AT OTHER WORKS. By Telegraph—Press Association. DUNEDIN, April 7. A full board of volunteer slaughtermen operated at the Finegand Freezing Works on Saturday. Amongst the volunteers are skilled butchers, while other freezing companies are sending skilled men as instructors. There are indications that the trouble may spread to other works in the South Island. The slaughtermen are said to be going slow at Burnside and Mataura. Work is proceeding quietly at Finegand freezing works. Some of the Union butchers have left town, but the majority are still here. Their behaviour to date has been exemplary, and although at the start of the trouble there were little incidents that might easily have led to a conflict with the forces of the law, a clash was averted, largely owing to the tact displayed by the police and the good sense of the strikers. The latter are hoping that pressure from outside may even yet bring about a change in the attitude of the Company, in the matter of reinstatement. Of that, however, there is no indication. As a result of the strike at Finegand, the workers at Burnside works have been carrying out a “go slow” policy since Friday. This afternoon, officials of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company announced that there was no statement to be made at the present Juncture.

ATTEMPT TO INCLUDE SOUTH CANTERBURY. SLAUGHTERMEN RESUME WORK. The trouble which was experienced at the South Otago Freezing Company’s works at Finegand last week, threatened to spread to the works in South Canterbury yesterday, but with the exception of the loss of a few hours’ killing time, which, under the conditions prevailing at present, was bad enough, nothing of a really serious nature developed. It is understood that two men, one of them being a slaughterman, who was paid off last week by the South Otago Company, arrived at the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company’s works at Pareora yesterday morning, and endeavoured to get the butchers there to cease work in sympathy with the southern slaughtermen. The Pareora killing staff, who number approximately sixty, did not commence work at the usual hour, and were addressed by the men who had come from the south. It is stated that the local men took a vote as to whether they should cease work or not, and the result was apparently in favour of continuing, for normal killing was resumed at 11.15. During the three hours the men were off the boards, approximately 2500 sheep could have been killed, and this was extremely inconvenient to the Company, who are, apart from outside

troubles, faced with a very difficult task in being able to handle the stock which is pouring in from the Oamaru, Waimate and surrounding districts. The killing season this year is already several weeks behind the normal period, and this, coupled with the very dry season, causing the lambs to fatten off rapidly, makes any stoppage of killing operations a very serious matter. The total number of employees affected at Pareora was over 300. It is understood that the two men mentioned later visited the New Zealand Refrigerating Company’s works at Smithfield. The slaughtermen at these works held their usual monthly meeting yesterday morning, and at the conclusion of the meeting they were addressed similarly to the men at Pareora. It is not known whether a vote was taken at Smithfield, but killing operations were resumed at 1.45.