CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16542, 28 September 1921, Page 8

CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

FREEZING WORKS DISPUTE. Tho Concili-ation Commissioner (Mr "W. H. Hagger) sat to-day iu a dispute between the Canterbury Freezing Companies aud tho Canterbury Freezing Works Union. The application for the dispute wa® filed by the employers, whose assessors were Messrs W. O. Campbell, I>. J. Shea, C. G. Norman, and A. C. Cookson (agent). The union’s assessors were Messrs C. F. Prvke, F. J. Nia.ll, and F. C. Ellis. Tho claims made by the employers provided that tho hours of work should be from 7 mm. to 5 p.m., instead of from 7.30 a.m. on five days of tho week and from T a.m. till 12 noon on Saturdays; an ordinary day’s work not to- exceed eight hours, as iu the present award. They asked that one hour be allowed .for lunch, except whore some arrangement was mutually made in certain departments; also that the overtime rate should be paid for all time worked in excess of eight hours in each twenty-four. Regarding rates of pay, the employers asked for rate and a half instead of double rates for all sheep shorn after November 30, pud. the same rates for rams and. genuine stags other than ram lambs. Other new v'rovibions were that on a.ll cattle if sawn by machinery there should bo a 20 per cr-nt reduction on the ruling rates, and for e-alvea up to 801 b weight 9d. For calves from 1301 b to 2301 b a rato of Is 8d was suggested, and cattle rates for calves over ‘2601 b instead of 300ib. For unskinned calves a 50 per cent reduction on the present rat«& was claimed In tho preserving department an increase of Id per hour was offorod for tinsmiths and second preservers. An increase of od per ho-ur was also offered fo classers, scrapors, measurers tank hands, strippers and vntrnon, and Id increase to writers, triiere- “ t-V- Present award provides 7|d and Sjd I f.r dozen for pullers, the demands sought, as 10id per 100 skins The new demands ucre Is 3Jcl per too for skin workers on piecework in December and January, la bid per 100 in February and March, i a lid !h, Ar,c * from June t. - the ? lid 2 £ - se*V5 e *V* ou; 6ie South Island piecework rates in fcllmongory to bo 25 per cent, lean than the above rates. In the pelt, department classers and carers w*»re offered Is IOJd, compared with Is Fid For working time for pieceworkra a rate of an hoar was asked for instead of 3s In the e-rent of a cut-out cm tho board, if slaughtermen were required to wait thirty minutes of working time a rate of 2a ner hour was suggested, instead of 3s. The union’s counter-proposals were the existing award. Mr Cookson stated that it was hoped that the proceedings would *>rin a basis for a nonunion award, but Mr Ellis replied that the present sitting was to consider a Canterbury award and nothing else.