COOL STORE WORKERS TURNED DOWN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 8, 10 January 1941, Page 6

COOL STORE WORKERS TURNED DOWN

VOTE AT WESTFIELD STOP-WORK MEETING HELD

SERIOUS SETBACK TO INDUSTRY [ Per Press Association. ] AUCKLAND, Jan. 9. No major slaughtering operations were carried out at the estfield Freezing Works this afternoon, and all departments were idle until 3.30 p.m. while a mass meeting of employees and a secret ballot were held in connection with the 140 chamber-hands who were dismissed last Friday for refusing to work in city cool stores on Sundays. The ballot resulted in a majority of more than 300 voting aginst any direct action being taken in support of the chamber-hands.

The stoppage of work created a serious interruption in slaughtering operations, and it was stated by the management that more than 0000 lambs, and considerable numbers of pigs and cattle had to be left over-night in stock-pens. The company had planned to handle about 10,000 lambs in the course of the day, and, as a result of accumulation of stock the drafting of lambs from Waikato for Saturday has had to be cancelled. Condition Will Deteriorate. The management stated that the condition of stock held over-night ■would deteriorate, and it would not be possible, without working overtime in future, to overtake the arrears cf work. The meeting, which began at 12.30 p.m. and lasted until 1.4 a. was held to receive reports from union representatives on negotiations conducted the previous day. The employees were also addressed by a representative of the chamber-hands. A resolution to the effect that, in view of the present critical times no action be taken, was submitted to a secret ballot. While it was being conducted in various departments the employees did not resume work, and many of the younger workers and girls spent an interval of about 90 minutes in plajing impromptu tennis and cricket games in the yards. At 3.15 p.m. the result of the ballot was declared as follows:

For the resolution - 644 Against 342 Majority in favour of no action being taken 302 The result was received without any demonstration and work was resumed almost immediately- in most of the departments. Slaughtermen on the mutton and beef floors, involving about 220 men, decided not to resume work until the morning. A team of pig slaughtermen began work, however, and when operations ceased for the day there were only a few hundred pigs held over. 1300 Stop Work. The management stated that approximately 1300 workers were concerned in the stoppage of work, Ims number including staff hands and overseers. It was computed that about £6OO was lost in wages to the employees through the stoppage. At the Southdown Freezing Works a similar meeting was held, and ah departments, employing about 4od men, were idle until nearly 2 p.m. The meeting decided to send two delegates to watch events at the Westfield meeting. The management stated that the stoppages of work over the two days, in which two hours’ work were lost, had resulted in 1200 lambs and about 600 pigs being carried over. It was stated by the union officials that a turther mass meeting of Southdown workers is to be held to-mor-row, when it is expected that the employees will hold a ballot on a resolution similar to the Westfield one At the Horotiu works the employees held a lunch-hour meeting, which extended for about 20 minutes beyond the usual hour for resuming work. It was stated that delegates submitted a report, which was adopted after some discussion.

"I am sorry ao many good men were misled and I hope they will soon see the folly of taking such independent action, and join with the rest of their mates in the industry again,” said the Minister of Labour, Hon. P. C. Webb, when discussing the recent dismissal of chamber-hands employed by the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company, Limited. The Minister expressed his satisfaction with the position as it now stood, and said he was satisfied that the vitally important work of handling produce for Britain would continue without further interruption. , “I expected this from the unionists,” the Minister said, in commenting upon the decision of the Auckland Watersiders to continue handling the produceTrom cool stores. "I do not expect them to support any body- of men ■who have violated a principle of unionism. I am satisfied that the common sense of unionists makes them realise that spasmodic action of the type that occurred will only help to wreck their own organisation." Mr. Webb said it was unfortunate that the incident had occurred, as the great bulk of cool store workers were good men and hard workers. They had, however, been hopelessly misled in the direction that no Government could afford to Ignore.

i TURNED DOWN ALSO BY WATERSIDERS i NO SUPPORTING ACTION | Per Pr»s. A.M.e>aiioD. ] AUCKLAND. Jan. t> No action in sympathy with ih> dismissed cool store workeis will betaken by the Auckland v.mcrsifi ?! workers tint': it - • learn-o that the i dismissed men will get :w- full sup-i Wj W

ers and Related Trades’ Union, according to a statement issued by the Auckland Waterside Workers’ Union to-dav. Work would go on normally, said Mr. J. Brien, vice-president of the union. Three waterside delegates, who waited on the Freezing Workers’ Union, reported to the executive of the .Waterside Workers’ Union that their delegation was unsatisfactory. It is understood the delegates were not received by the Freezing Workers’ Union. Because of a contention that they were entitled to the same rate of pay on Sundays as watersiders, chamber hands employed by the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company, Ltd., on the export wharf, Auckland, refused Sunday work. Their request for the higher rales of pay had been refused. The dispute began in the middle o r December, and loading of butler and cheese for overseas was delayed because vessels were offering on Sundays and there were no men to work the stores. The men v.<i:> dismissed subsequently, and on January 5 (last Sunday) a call for voluntary labour I was made and answered. Work was jeanied on in the stores for the first [lime ainc« the disput» began, by 140