DIRT MONEY CAUSES DISPUTE AT CITY FERTILISER WORKS

Wanganui Chronicle, 3 June 1950, Page 4

DIRT MONEY CAUSES DISPUTE AT CITY FERTILISER WORKS

A dispute between the union and the management over the payment of dirt money for the handling of dirty sacks resulted in the dismissal of about 60 employees at Kempthorne, Prosser and Co.’s fertiliser and chemical works at Aramoho on Thursday. Yesterday afternoon a meeting of the union was held, when the matter was discussed at length. Last evening a union spokesman stated that there would be a conference between representatives of the union and the management this morning, when negotiations will be reopened. The union sought a payment of Is an hour dirt money for the handling of sacks, to which the management countered with an offer of 3d an hour. This was declined. The payment of the Is an hour was sought as the result of a decision at a recent union meeting. When nine key men refused to do a certain job the union declared it “black.” Other men were drawn for the job, but they, too, refused to do it. The men went to the pay office where they were given their wages and dismissed. The union meeting yesterday began at 1 p.m. and concluded after 4 p.m. An adjournment was taken at one stage for union officials to discuss certain points with a representative of the management. Subsequently it was announced that a conference would be held this morning. The dispatch department was the only department involved in the dispute, and work in other departments proceeded according to schedule yesterday.