FOOTWEAR TRADE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23261, 24 July 1945, Page 5

FOOTWEAR TRADE

Grievances Over Pay Talk Of Direct Action ; tN.Z.P.A.) AUCKLAND. July 23. i Nearly 2000 employees of Auckland I footwear manufacturing firms held a i mass stop-work meeting in the Town Hall this afternoon to consider griev- | ances arising from the new rates of i pay fixed by the Arbitration Court in I April. The question of taking direct j action to express their grievance was discussed by the workers after taking i a secret ballot, and as a result it is understood that certain representations I will be made to the Wellington headquarters of the New Z. aland Federated 1 Footwear Association of Workers. The employees' grievance arises from ' the fact that in fixing the new rates 1 of pay the Arbitration Court did not “ -nslder the footwear trade as skilled. Commenting upon the court's decision in April, an association official stated that the court had taken no I cognisance of the fact that workers served a five years’ apprenticeship, in I spite of which they received only the i semi-skilled rate. Secret ballot papers I which were issued to the workers in the industry some weeks ago asked | them to express an opinion on the question of taking direct action to I obtain a review of the new award. There are approximately 40 footwear | factories in the Auckland district.