BREAD INDUSTRY DISPUTE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 13, 16 January 1946, Page 3

BREAD INDUSTRY DISPUTE

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS CONCILIATION COUNCIL MEETS NEXT WEEK (P.A.) Auckland, Jan. 15. Proposals for a meeting of repre-. sentatives of the New Zealand Master Bakers’ Association and the New Zealand Baking Trade Employees’ Union in Conciliation Council in Wellington next week, and arrangements by bread carters to hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss their position, were developments in the baiting industry dispute to-day. It was stated by officials of both parties that on the’ outcome of these developments will depend whether a full bread supply will be available this week-end.

The secretary of the Auckland branch of the union, Mr. F. H. Bourke, said the national executive of the union had recommended that the Auckland employees work as usual on Saturday of this week and turn out normal week-end supplies of bread. In telephoning this information the Dominion secretary, Mr. A. A. McDonald, had stated that the union’s claim for a new award, including a five-day working week, had been filed, and it was proposed to hold q Conciliation Council in Wellington on Wednesday of next week. The national executive had agreed to attend the Conciliation Council on the assumption that the men would accept its recommendation to work this week-end as usual. Mr. Bourke said he would be calling a general meeting of employees to discuss the proposal, and it would probably be held on Thursday, The president of the Auckland Master Bakers’ Association, Mr. A. E. Brownlie, said he had received advice of the proposed conciliation proceedings from the association's Dominion headquarters in Christchurch. Under the ordinary Conciliation Council procedure it was necessary to appoint asssessors to represent the employers, and this usually took some time. However, he was trying to obviate any delay and was hopeful that his association would be able to arrange for representation as suggested. Mr. Brownlie pointed out that the conditions of any new award would be applicable to the whole of the Dominion, and for that reason repre’ sentation would have to be on a national basis. His association was to hold a general meeting to-morrow afternoon to discuss the position. Speaking in a personal capacity, he thought his members would be agree* able to meeting the men’s tfepresentatives in conciliation if the employees would work as usual on Saturday of this week.

A decision to hold a meeting of bread carters is said to have arisen from allegations that vanmen had been subjected to considerable abuse when delivering bread during the past two week-ends, when supplies of bread were inadequate to meet customers’ needs. The secretary of the Drivers' Union, Mr. L. G. Matthews, said that in their anxiety to secure supplies customers had taken bread from vans and, when remonstrated with by the vanmen, had in many cases become abusive and had threatened violence. The meeting was to endeavour to obviate any trouble in this connection.