Settlement Reached In Freezing Dispute

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30962, 19 January 1966, Page 3

Settlement Reached In Freezing Dispute

(Neiu Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, January 18. Settlement has been reached in the freezing dispute, said the secretary of the North Island Freezing Companies’ Association. Mr J. B. Walton, today after a telephone conversation with the Christchurch-hased secretary of the New Zealand Freezing Workers’ Association, Mr F. E. McNulty.

Plans for a meeting this week between workers and management on the issues—firstly, the question of retrospective payment for knife sharpening, cleaning of working equipment and three weeks' holiday pay. and. secondly, the existing slow movement of stock to works—have therefore been dropped in view of the settlement, Mr Walton said.

McMc.X'ulty indicated i last week that both items could lead to strife on a national basis. j He said that on the pay-' merits question the money was retrospective to December 20. according to conciliation agreement before Christmas. The management, however, in some quarters considered this was not the case and that the payments did not come into force until the

award had been ratified by the Court of Arbitration. Mr Walton, who has just returned from holiday, said he I could not understand how the iconfusion had arisen. “Something went completely haywire and I do not know how it happened. Panic buttons were pressed when they should not have been. There should have been no misunderstanding at all, because it is quite crystal clear —the payments are retrospec-

' tive to December 20,” he said ' today. Mr Walton said that com-; [ments had been attributed to him on the issue recently but the statements had not come from him. “1 have been away and 1 have not talked to anybody about it. In my mind there was and is no argument over the clause in the agreement." [ The difference of opinion on the matter was said toj jhave been the cause of 600 men at the Belfast works in Christchurch of Thomas Borthwick and Sons (‘Asia). ! Ltd., stopping work for a day. L A Borthwick s official said today that the stoppage had ' no connexion with this at all. however. The men went home after the slaughtermen decided to . hold a morning meeting. There was a request to the I management to pay the other men at the works during the hour the meeting took place, but the management declined, he said. | Mr Walton, dealing with the (slow stock movement to , works, said his association 11 could do nothing about this i problem. He said farmers chad been holding back sheep [to keep back grass, growing • this season at an exceptional ; rate because of climatic cont ditions. The result of this 5 had been that many works were well behind their nor- >’ trial killing for this time of 1 the year.