Meat strike still unresolved
Meat workers in most of New Zealand’s export freezing works will enter their seventh day of strike today as behind-the-scenes talks continue over the redundancy dispute at the Gear Meat Company's Petone works. Unless the dispute is settled today, all the country’s works except the Oringi works near Dannevirke will stop killing tomorrow as members of the Auckland Freezing Workers’ Union join the strike by their colleagues in the Meat Workers’ Union. The Government-appointed mediator, Mr Tom Skinner, met representatives of the Hawke’s Bay Farmers Meat Company on Sunday and representatives of the Meat Workers’ Union in Christchurch yesterday to try and settle the issue of appropriate severance pay for the 500 meat workers who lost their jobs last November at the Petone works. The secretary of the. Meat Workers’ Union, Mr A. J. Kennedy, said after talks with Mr Skinner that the strike was continuing, and that delegates at the union’s annual conference this week had told him their members were “as solid as concrete” in support of the redundant Gear workers. Mr Skinner has until Friday to report back to the Minister of Labour (Mr Bolger) on his attempts to find a solution to the dispute. Mr Kennedy said that the union had not discussed yesterday the recommendation from the Auckland union that the strike be confined to the Whakatu and Takapau works,
both owned by Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Meat Company. Asked if he was more or less confident than last week about the outcome of the talks with the help of Mr Skinner, Mr Kennedy said that he was always an optimist. The strike has completely stopped shipments to overseas markets, according to the Press Association from Hastings. The Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Meat Company said in a statement yesterday that it was seriously
concerned'about the delay in reaching a settlement. “Throughout this dispute the company has repeatedly requested all parties involved, including the Government, to have the problem referred to the Arbitration Court while normal work continues,” it said. In Auckland last evening, Mr Skinner said he did not think an early settlement was in sight. “The position of both sides remains the same. Neither party has offered any concessions,” he said.
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Press, 2 March 1982, Page 1
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369Meat strike still unresolved Press, 2 March 1982, Page 1
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