THE SLAUGHTERMEN

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 8 February 1913, Page 5

THE SLAUGHTERMEN

I A CANTERBURY AGREEMENT. < AFFECTING SLAUGHTERMEN'S | ASSISTANTS, I AN INTERKSTING DEYELOi'1 M WNT, i (By Telegraph.—l'ress Association.) CH.R.ISTCHURCM, Last Night. ( Although tlie local meat freezing companies are not yet in ft position to announce the date upon which 1 slaughtering operations will begin at ( their larger works, the situation a])- f pears to be more hopeful than it has. . been for some time past. Applications from men willing to man the i;iilin<: boards are coming in fairly saiisl'ac- 1 torv, though it- i.s question how long it will ho before, the applications reach 1 a number that will warrant the begin ' ning of operations, ' News from Marlborough is to the- ( effect that there is every likelihood of tho Picton wo'rks starting some time next week, and it is undor-tovJ that slaughtering operations at; tho Burn.side works, in Ota-go, may be also started next week. I The arrival at an agreement between tho companies and the slaughtermen's assistants removes one c.aiiploxity from the situation. The members of the Freezing Workers Union no not speak enthusiastically regarding the basis upon which tho agreement , has been reached. In fact, they describe tho agreement, as a had cut*, though admitting that it is the be-t 1 possible that could bo arrived at hi ( tho circumstances. The fact that they < have accepted the agreement some- j what discounts their objections to it. Tho basis upon which the union desir- ■ ed tho slaughtermen's assistants to j bo paid, viz.. 7o per cent of tlu» highest tally of tlie best slaughter- ( men, was an extraordinary one, j'wl f was not considered a fair one from ( the point of view of tho companies. The rate of pay agreed upon. Is :;',d per hour, is practically an increase •>! 10 >per cent- on the rate previou-.lv ruling. It is noteworthy that the terms offered by the companies to : he slaughtermen, 27s 6d per 100, is also a 10 per cent increase on tho rate previously paid ; but whereas the slaughtermen's assistants have agreed to an increase ol 10 por cent, in order, ] probably, to ensure industrial peace, ; the slaughtermen are holding out for i . 30s per 100, or a 20 per cent increase. ' With reference to a statement rais- ; ing doubts as to the legality of the registration of tho Slaughtermen's Union, on the ground that the mem- ( bcrs of the new union are not at pre- , sent "employed" by an employer, jlr ] C. Were, secretary of the union, informed a reporter that, so far from the i application being out of order, it had tbeen made on behalf of men who had not ceased work. There were twenty- I . four slaughtermen in the old Cantor- . bury Union who had not ceased work, I but had been kept on to slaughier 1 for the shops for' local consumption. 1 Nineteen members of tho old Union 1 were, in fact, at present employed at the city abattoir also. Only li.'teeu workers were in any case required te < render tho application valid, and it < must therefore be in order. Mr ere added, wit-h a smile, that lie was 1 awaiting the next question by the employers. Mr Were has sent a telegram to tho Deputy-Registrar of I v.- . dust-rial Unions, embodying the .state- i ment made for publication. Tho conference between reprosoniii-

[ tivos of the Canterbury Freeing 1 Workers Union, and of r.ht« Christ- ] church a D-d Canterbury frozen meat '; ; companies, which opened yesterday, • r was concluded to-day, when the par- i f ties arrived at an agreement in rei spect to tlio Union's demands. f will l>e taken at once to make the ■ agreement an instrument of the Court of Arbitration. Mr F. C. Ellis, soero- ' tary of the Union, supplied a reporter . 1 with the following particulars of the agreement: Eight hours are to ooui stitute a day's work, which is to he • regulated by the slaughtering opens tioiis. All hours worked beyond eight r shall be considered overtime, and 1 vsliaU be paid at the rate of time and l ' a quarter for the first two hours and time and a-lialf afterwards. The . rates of pay for assistants eighteen e years of age and over are Is 2-Jd per r 'hour. If on any day the worker* are • ordered to commence work, and if the ? work done on that day shall he less than four hours, the workers shall ' nevertheless be paid as if they had , p worked four hours on that day. Tiie ; , employment of youths of 11 to 15 d years is to be at.l.'s per week; I"> to , i, 16 years, 17s; 16 to 1-7 years, '2os; j o 17 to IS years, 255. ' Holidays are to d k>e the same as for slaughtermen, i- When a holiday falls on a Sunday, • the following Monday shall be observ- ( •7 ed. No slaughtering for export is to be done on holidays or Sundays, but : on Easter Monday, King's Birthday

and Boxing Day the employers c-baH be at liberty to employ «uch of their employers as they require for a period of four hours, for the purpose of slaughtering stock for local consumption only, and shall receive time and a-half for such work. Wages are t.o be paid fortnightly, two days' "lie" time to bo allowed. The usual underrate workers clause is included in the agreement. The employers .may employ any worker they choose, provided that within one week of the date of his engagement the worker shall beeomo and remain, a member ol the Union, Smoke-oh is to cotiMsfc of .fifteen minutes morning and after--1 noon, without deduction from the men's pay. Ample dressing Vooni-i | and lavatory accommodation are to he provided. There is to bo an CiV-ial distribution of work in each department. Gumboots, aprons, ,)verali-. and leggins are to bo supplied to workers who require them by the employers. In the case where assistant-; have been paid more-than the award rate, they are to receive a corresponding increase. A rate of Is each is fixed for skinning dead sheep or lambs. The rate under the award just expired was Is Id per hour. The guarantee of four hours' work is an increase

compared with the okl award. it understood. that the agreement will be l'nr a term of three years. ■ WAIT AHA WORK'S. NEW PLYMOUTH, Last Night. Everything is progressing smooth !y at tho Waitara works. The boards are m.inned by free labour. The men aro doing so 'well, that they cut i>ut the pens, and ha<l to wait for furzuer •sheep to bo hurried up. Tho manager says the men are doing quite as well as theiri predecessors, and the boards could have been filled three .times over. j POSITION AT HASTINGS. j HASTINGS, Last Night. i There is little fresh to report as far ] as tho local works are concerned. : Work is 'proceeding at a satisfactory J rate, and the new slaughtermen are , becoming more expert with the j knife, the result being that tallies 1 are improving daily. Twelve men got through 200 sheep nt Paki Paki yesterday, and it was estimated that 200 ( would bo put through again to-day. A minimum wage of 10s per day is being paid until the men are able to record better tallies. Applications are still coming in from all, over tho district. Twenty-eight horiks were occupied at Tomoana yesterday, and the work continued at- a very satisfactory pace. There were thirty butchers or tho board this morning, including one ' or two who have been topnotchors in their time. Another of the st nicer? resinned work this morning. Most of the strikers have taken employment in the surrounding district, harvesting, or any other' work they were able r to obtain." They were still confidont • that the companies would give wav. In regard to tho statement by Mr Reardon that the Federation was in negotiation with a largo buyer in the , North Island, who was prepared to [grant the men's full demands, a reporter was informed on the best nnthority that the works in Hawke's j Bay have no such arrangements ivitli anv buyer as implied by Mr Reardon, and that it is not a" practice in tho management of the works to accept contracts of that nature without a strike clause.

WELLINGTON COMPANIES. WELLINGTON, Last Night, ft is believed by those in a position to judge that the meat freezing works at Petone and Ngahauranga will be opened next week with a sufficiency of killers, more or less expert, to ensure a good start. The applications which are coining in for hooks, are said to be quite satisfactory, as most of the men offoring their services have had Kome experience in killing and dressing sheep. An authoritative statement declares that the companies will stand through thick and thin by those killers and labourers who now come I forward. In connection with the recent re-registration of three of the 1 North Island Unions, the Crown Law Office is to be requested to define "workers" as used in the Act. Tito contention is that the slaughtermen, bv voluntarily knocking off, nunot now lie described as "workers." TFIE WA TERSTT) ERS. TTVIARU. Last Nisrhl. The local Waterside Union state that they have had no word from the Federation <yf Labour about supporting the slaughtermen (who are not Federationists), and the secretary does not anticipate such instructions. In their absence, he would not sernole to handle free labour meat. The Gisborno watersiders are on a different footing, not being federated.