Butchers Walk Out From Longburn Works

Chronicle (Levin), 31 March 1949, Page 4

Butchers Walk Out From Longburn Works

Tliere was a further development in the dispute between the mutton butchers and management at the Cooperative Wholesale Society 's freezing works at Longburn yesterday when after resuming work for about an hour and a half in the afternoon the muttou and beef butchers (a,bout 40 in number) resigned en bloc. At 4 p.m. members of the Longburu branch of the Freezing Workers ' Union held a half-hour meeting when it was decided that if tne works management should engage new butchers the other workers should resign in support of the butchers who walked out yesterday. The dispute developed on Monday when the 33 butchers operating the mutton ehain complained that the drovers had failed to keep the sheep driven up* into the race leading to the killing floor, resulting in the butchers finishing the day 200 head of sheep short of their tally. A request was ' ihade'To* the management on Tuesday morniug for full payment for the unoccupied hooks, but they were offered only waiting timo which is slightlv less than that which the butchers would have received if their tally had been achieved. Aceording to the butchers, it is the responsibilitv of the works managenienr to see that the sheep are kept going up the race to the slaughterhouse, and on Tuesday were adamant in demauding payment for the full tally. The ordiu arv monthly meeting of the Longburn branch of the Freezing Workers' Union was held on Tuesday afternoon when a resolution was unanimously cairied expressing support for the butchers. Later'the grievance was passed to the local disputes committee;, but the parties failed to reach agreement. To, avoid crueltv to bobby calves heid m the pens, the butchers killed this class of stock on Tuesday, and yesterday worked for an hour and a half to el.ear the pens of lambs and sheep. At 3 p.m. the men resigned. It is understood that this particular dispute is not speciiically eovered by the existiug award, fflid that is undoubtedlv the reason that the parties have failed to reach any agreement. The dispute is not regarded as a serious one, and there have been no signs of animosity on either side. Longburn has had a long record of good industrial relationships between" managemet and workers, and the hope is held out that the present dispute will not deveiop into anything serious or be of long duration. Fortunately the works have passed the ffush of the killing season, only onr mttnn chain having been operating a' the time of the work stoppage. The present rate of killing would be aboux 3300 sheep and lambs and about 10(> head of cattle.