FREEZERS’ DISPUTE

Wairarapa Daily Times, 18 January 1933, Page 4

FREEZERS’ DISPUTE

STRIKE TO CONTINUE. The workers’ side of the case in the freezing dispute was put to a large audience at ,the Empire Theatre, Petone, last evening. Representatives of the Freezing Workers’ Union declared that the workers would fight to the last to prevent the industry in the Dominion from being Americanised. ' The Mayor of Petone, Mr D. McKenzie, presided. Mr A. McLeod, secretary of the Wellington Freezing Workers’ Union, declared that the amendments to the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act had been responsible for the dispute. The workers had done their best to arrive at a settlement, but the employers on four occasions had refused to refer the dispute to the Conciliation Council. A two days’ round table conference in October had been abortive, and another conference in November had’ been unsuccessful. In October the employers had posted amended rates in the sheds, and had simply pushed aside the representatives of the union. The workers, however, had refused to accept the rates offered. The employers, Mr McLeod stated, in effect, had said: “Here are our terms; you can take them or leave them.” The union had used every means to effect a settlement, and hau no ■wish to continue the dispute one moment longer than could be avoided. The union was fully justified in the stand it had taken; their bread and butter was at stake. Though they had had to fight a lone hand, when the industrial history of the Dominion came to be recorded, the fight tire freezers’ union had put up would be writ large. On the motion of Mr .Swanson, a motion was carried expressing disgust at what was described as the shortsighted policy of the Government in not doing its best to bring about some form of settlement of the dispute.