MEAT WORKERS STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1360, 10 February 1912, Page 6

MEAT WORKERS STRIKE.

The hands at tho Gear Moat Company's Works at Petone, and at the Wellington Meat Export Company's Works at Ngahauranga, struck work punctually at !) o'clock yesterday morning. There had teen a conference with the employers the previous day, but it had served no useful purposo except to emphasise at least ono point on which tho two parries to the conferenco wero very distinctly at variance. For all that oven the rank and file of tho'workers did not all know yesterday morning'that they were to strike at 9 o'clock; Practically all of them α-n----swered tho call, however, and the works wero ■to all intents and purposes shut ■down from tho hour fixed. ' LONG LIST OF DEMANDS. The men had-submitted a long, list of lietnands for higher wages and for overtime rates for all work done before 8 a.m., and after .5' p.m. Possibly thero might' not havo been substantial agreement about the wages to , bo paid, but i very soon tho more important question of hours of work was raised.. . Tho men asked for an eight hours day between the hours of 8 and 5, and for overtime outsido those hours, at tho rate of time, and a quarter for the first ■ two hours, > and timo , and a half thereafter. The companies' . representatives were willing .to consider the, question of paying overtime, but not 'on the 8-to-5 day. -What they held out for was that tho men should work any eight hours of the twenty-four at ordinary rates, and that overtime should be payable for all hours worked in excess of eight. This proposal tho men would not accept, and the companies would make no other.

'REGULARITY IMPOSSIBLE, It is plain that the internal economy of meaf'wprks is such that, it is impossible to keep' all men in all departments employed for tho same houi'3 in the day, and the employers maintain, therefore, that the men's demands are unreasonable. The slaughtermen, who .handle tho stock first,"--set tho paco for all tho others. They.'aro kept busy, generally speaking, from 7 o'clock in the morning until from 3 o'clock to 5 or G o'clock in tho evening. To chooso one other department as an example: the fellmongers do not receive; any skins' from tho slaughtermen for an hour or an hour and a half, so that,»they cannot commence work until, nay,-5.30 a.m. ■ In. tho . same way they musE work' for.; an" hour and a half after the slaughtermen have finished. The case nf the men' who' take tho carcasses into tho freezing chambers is even more difficult:- All day long carcasses are being run iflong from tho slaughtermen into the cooling rooms, and thero they must hang until, all tho animal heat has left them beforo they can be transferred to the -freezing chambers. The cool rooms must. t>o emptied beforo' the next day's work; is started, and it is therefore necessary /that the men should commence the work of shifting the carcasses at about four o'clock in the morning or even earlier. Oth<&, dopartmonts nro similarly interdependent, and irregularities such as tho inen/mako complaint about art? inseparnblo .from the meat export busiueis. Tho companies claim that all this is already recognised in tho scale of wages paid. If overtime rates wero to bo made to apply ontsido of the, ordinary eight to fivo hours, some of tho employees wonld draw overtime for most of tho timo they work.

, COERCIVE PREFERENCE. Another of ■ Hie men's demands, which was not discussed, but which finds no 'favour with tho companies, is tlie following preference cl-auso: "It shall bo the duty of an employer when engaging a worker to ascertain whether ho is a member of tho union, and if he is not a •member his engagement shall bo subject to his becoming a member within seven days as from 'tho date of his employment. It shall be a condition ot" employment of all employees affected,by this award that they .shall become members of the union within seven days of the coming into operation of this agreement. If any employee shall neglect to becomo a member of tho union in the timo specified, ho shall bo dismissed. If any person who has already joined the union, or who shall, pursuant to the provisions of these' clauses, havo joined the union, and -of his own motion resigned from tho union, he shall be liable to dismissal, and shall be notified hy the manager of tho works' that ho is so liable, .and unless ho rejoins the union within ono week from the date of the notice ho shall be dismissed." The companies object to the coercivo portion of the prcferenco clause, as they naturally wish to protect their old employees who may not-wish.to becomo members of the union. IN THE BUSY SEASON. The strike has-occurred at a most unfortunate time—when the busy season is just commencing. It has not" been such n forward season for grass as was last spring and summer, and stock has been coming in more slowly in consequence, but fee average daily tally, at the Gear works for instance, of sheep and lnmbs for the past week or two has been from C0l)0',to.700p; and of cattle about 50. In spite of this the companies have made all arrangements to stand a.siege. Fortunately for them most farmers have now an abundance of grass, and clients havo been coming forward loyally with support, offering grazing for stock which has been lifted..but which is not on hand at the works. Arrangements have already » mado for depasturing all the stockheld by the companies, and most of it has been trucked into the country. From 20 f0.30-trucks of sheop and lambs' were sent: back JntcL.the countrr.by a train leaving Petone at S o'clock last ni-rht, and the balance of stock on hand will" be railed away to-day, with the exception nf perhaps a few w.hich may be required for local trade At neither of the work? is there any great quantity of stock. The steady ram of vesterday must also turn nut, lo bo another circumstance in the comnanies' favour, for by it grass will be made- even more abundant, and farmers will bo nljlo without embarrassment to hold their prime stock, and keep it in condition. TAKEN BY SURPRISE. 'With such dramatic suddenness did the striko occur that it surprised managers and porno of the \ov, voll-informcd of the workers. Everybody knew that it was an ostremply probable event in tho not very;far distant future, for the discontent has torn simmering for a month past.,. The first tangible, symptom of it was the formation of a uniin two or three weeks ago to embrace all the hands in tho works who wero not already members of other unions. Principal' among tho-e not included in tho new union were tho slaughtermen, the tinsmiths, and the pullers (employed in the fellmangery). These men. it is understood, did not jo"in in thti 'strike movement, but they will ho idle none tho less on account of the (kfetion of the others causing the dislocation of the works. It was this union which submitted demands to the employers, nnd delegates from the various sets of workers wero nresont at. the subsequent conference on Wednesday. Tho:e delegates seem to hnvn made up their minds that there would be a strike, and on the stroke of nine yesterday morning, when the men were all busy at their tasks, Uio delegates went through their departments and invited the men to down tools. The eall was readily rpsmnnded to nnd , Ihe linndii gathered" in their coats and hats and trooped nut of tho door.i, IN DISORDER. In -ome departments of bnth works the Ben were aiked to nut thhisa straight

SUDDEN STOPPAGE AT PETO^E. COIPAP3IEB PREPARED FOR A IQM SIEGE. WHAT WILL THE UNIONS 00 ?

beforo they downed tools, hut they pointblank refused, and walked out, leaving their tasks half finished, and the place in disorder. The butchers stayed on for a few- minutes to "cut out," and then they had to ecr.se work also, because thero was no one u> work with them. Tho tinsmiths remained 011 duty all day, most of tho pullers also', and the engine-room and stokehold staffs were not in any way affected by the strike. There was no demonstration or lioiso to speak of when the men came out —nothing more than a little laughing and shouting, with a spice of unfriendly chaff for the contractors. CLEANING UP. There wero a- few loyal hands at both works who refused to strike when called on, and they, with the. assistance- of the heads of. departments, a few clerks, and various officers set themselves lo the 1111plelisa'ut arid noisome duty of cleaning up the works. They succeeded admirably. This afternoon • tho big slaughterhouse at Petone was-perfectly ship-shape and as clean as a new pin. The meat was stowed in proper order, and there is not now the slightest risk that a single carcass will be lost. In the Tellmongery things wero in tho mest topsy-turvy state, but here also everything will ho in order to-day, and the management are confident that not a single pelt, and not a pound of wool will bo lost. All the meat on hand for preserving was tinned, cooked, and sealed, and more will be'handled to-day. It is safe to say that by this evening both establishments will be in order for closiug down for weeks or months. Here it may be remarked that both companies, perhaps in anticipation of. trouble, havo laid up big stocks' of coal. LONG STOP POSSIBLE. The indications are .that there may bo a ce=sation of work for a pei'iod, and tho most interesting question to be raised in the meantime concerns the attitude of other unions to tho strike. The slaughtermen are, up to the present, merely interested spectators. "We arc just looking en," said one of thorn yesterday to a reporter. "Wo're not on strike, but there's no work for us to do. And we are ready to come tack to work as soon as we're wanted." What if they employ outside labourers to work with you? the reporter asked. "Well, what-can wo do under those circumstances? We're unionists, you know." he replied. This, it may be presumed, is the attitude likely to bo taken up by other unionists at tho works, who are not out 011 strike, for it is said that they are all sympathetic towards the strikers. : The position of the companies would at onco become very serious if tho engines could not bo kept going. This would me.in, of course, that the freszing plant would stop,' and the meat in the chambers would fee very scon lost. The engineers are counted upon as safe to remain loyal, but there is some doubt about the firemen. These latter did not strike yesterday, but it was currently reported at Petone that pressure would lit brought to bear upon them to induce th»m to come out very soon. On thb other hand it is said that the companies nre by 110 means alarmed at the threat, believing as they do that they have labour enough available to keep the fires going. IF OUTSIDE UNIONS JOIN IN. So much for tho other unions in f.h» works. The really serious troubles will occur if outside unions take a hand For instance, the chambers are said to be full, and tho strikers hope and expect that tho wharf .labourers will refuse to handle any frozen meat from the works. This question will not crop up for a little time, at any rate, for there are no steamers in port at present to load mutton. THE CONTRACTING SYSTEM. There is no doubt that one of the causes of tho unrest which bred tins strike was tho svstein of snb-contracting at the works. Some of the sub-contrac-tors, employing several hands, have been making handsome profits. It is said that many of them have been making from '.£lO to £U per week, as against their men's JS or £?, 10s., and this lias rightly or wrongly, engendered a good dral of dissatisfaction, and jealousy. About Christnia3 time some trouble sccurrod among the offal-boys, on account of the system, an'd ' the Company replied by relieving the contractor of his contract, nnd giving it to the boys as a body. Since "then they havo worked harder, and managed with less hands, and as a result they have often earned upwards of .£1 per week. Tho other day they decided that they wanted more, and they contrived to get rid of one of their number. There is'no doubt that the men do not like the contractors, which makes it all the hardeT to explain why the contractors now appear to be making common cause with tho men on strike. Tho season.at the meat works is a comparatively short one, and all the men rely on making enough in the busy season to see them through a slack time, or even a period' of unemployment. . Some of them—the - highly-paid men like the butchers and the conlractors-rboast that t'iey reckon to make enough in tho busy months to provide creature comforts through the winter. Many go to Australia and work through tlie rush season there, picking up the New Zealand rush, afterwards. Thcso men make money. Tho labourers have to take any other work that is offering. If there is any snecial activity at the workshops, or if there is an election nonding, a srood number find berths there as casual hands. Generally speaking, however, they make most of their money in the freezing season. MASS MEETING. STRIKE COMMITTEE FORMED. A mass meeting of all employees at both works wns held at Petone yesterday afternoon, No reporters were admitted, The attendance totalled between 800 and !)00, and some of the butchers and contractors wero present. Tho , only well-known Lahour leader present was Mr. M. J. Eeardon, secretary of tho union. Tho mcetipr- lasted for iiu hour and three-quarters, but all that those outside know of what happened was thai, there was a. good deal of applause and some cheering. Tho men faithfully observed the pledge of secrecy which they v.-ero asked to give. An "imperturbable silence- has in fact been observed by hoth sides in the controversy. It is understood, however, that a Strike Committee was-formed at the. meeting, and that this commit!™ was empowered to treat with the employers as soon as may be deemed advisable. NO DISORDER. Peace and order was maintained by the men all day. They • discussed tlir-ir affair.- freely and often, and they loitered about the streets, us idle men with a grievance will, but they behaved themselves perfectly. I.afe last night the streets wero as clear and as quiet as usual, and there was nothing about the appearance of the town to indicate that calamity had overtaken it. The strikers bnvn not in this instance enjoyed the exhilaration which seems to follow tho luxury of breaking the law. Their union is' nnl registered under the Act, and they are therefore at. liberty to strike as they'wish. HOURS AND WAGES. WHAT HAPPENEO _ AT THE CONFERENCES. STATEMENT 1!V THE CHAIRMAN. On being coriiiil'.ed yesterday as to matters considered in conference between the representatives nf the rnc-j-t companies, and the men effected, the Hon. C, JI. Luke, M-L.C, who acted 15 .ohairmail,

made a general statement lo .1 Dominion reporter. .He said thai tin- men ali'erled K'ure llouniu'ii' Ijoikt.-, puller.-, general labourer.-, nil-ill <'la.-.-.cr>, wrigii clerk-, trimmer.-, gut-men, gnt-ninni'rs, skin washers, and wool curriers. 'I'lli> w-affos demanded generally ranged from 1-. ::<].■ 10 K 6(1. per hour aecordiiw (0 (lie class of work performid. ;i< cjinparcd with mi average 01 about Is -Jil- per hour (fur the must part). Tlie.-e demands Mere made 011 top of a. substantial given In the mrn ii ioi-tnijrlit ago—a rise (if ijd. :ui hour in Mime Va-cs, and as much as IJil. per Jiour in others. The.se rises, it might. Ijo stated, were grau'ed beforo any demand was made. This did. noi appease the men. In I lie coitr.-e of the negotiations the companies ull'ered a-, much as Is. I'd. per hour for at least 0110 class of work. After thai they arrived at tho point, of the companies concerting Is. :id. per hour for certain classes oi' work, provided that the workers began work as hitherto at any lulu- within the twentyfour. That was to say, (hat in (ho buAines.s it was necessary for some brunches; to start work at -I.SO a.m. or 5 a.m., and in other departments at 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. in order that all departments of the works could be kept going on a basis of unanimity. There was certain work lo be dono by one class of worker before tho, others could get on, and it appeared to be necessary for some of the departments to commence; earlier than others. The men on their part stood out for work to commence at 8 a.m. and cease at 5 p.m. ' with tho ordinary hour off for luncheon. It was on this point that tho negotiations broke off at 9 p.m. on Thursday, the companies' representatives deciding that it was impossible to go anyfarther in the matter. The. companies feel that under present conditions, under which they havo to buy in the same market as other companies, and have to rely on the sale cf their products in tho same markets, they could not submit to any further loading, particularly as they had to compete with Australian" companies on the London market. "I confess." said Mr. Luke, "that I was astonished to hear, that tho men liad 'downed tools' this morning. 1 fully anticipated, that they would approach the companies again with a view to coming to a workable arrangement. The work in a meat works has to be arranged in watches something after the stylo adopted on a steamer to enable tho business to go on smoothly. "I should say that tho men did concede a point in regard to overtime, accepting time and a quarter instead of time and a half for any time worked' exceeding two hours' overtime, and the companies agreed to the overtime rates provided tho men would start at any hour during the tw.enty-four." WILL WELLINGTON SUFFER? MEAT EXPORT COMPANY KILLS FOR RETAILERS. . Inquiries elicited the. fact that tho Wellington Moat Export Company slaughter at their Ngahatiranga work's for several of the retail butchers of Wellington, and as all work is practically at a standstill pending the settlement of tho trouble, the question of the effect on tho local supply of meat presents itself. One city butcher stated that ho had considerable dealings with the company for supplies, but laughingly brushed "aside all fears that the supply would bs cut off or curtailed by the present trouble. "There's not likely to be any shortage of meat even if there are a few men out at tho meat works—you need havo.no fear of that. Even if the strike continued any time we. could as a last resource go out and kill our own meat." Another retail butcher in a large way in town took a more serious view of the situation. "We get our meat from the Meat Export Company, and if they stop slaughtering wo are bound to bo affected." But could you not get your supplies from the municipal abattoirs? "That all depends—the strikers at the big works might call out all the butchers, and then there would k> no one to do tho sl.i lightering." Couldn't tho town butchers go out and slaughter? "I don't believe there are half a dozen butchers in Wellington who could slaughter properly." Then you think tho position is serious? "Yes, indeed T do—meat is perishable, very much so at this time of the year, and if there is a general strike among the slaughtermen in sympathy with the men that are already out, there is n very good chance of people going short of meat until some arrangement is fixed up." GEAR COMPANY'S POSITION. EFFECT ON STEAMER SUPPLIES. The Gear Meat Company does not enter into tho retail trade beyond supplying its own shop on Lambton "Quay. It holds the contract to supply the Union S.S. Company in Wellington, but if the worst came' to the worst the contract would havo to be suspended and the boats would be under the necessity of picking up their supplies of fresh meat at the next port, ABATTOIRS NOT AFFECTED. "ALL EIGHT OUT HERE!" Much of tho meat consumed locally is slaughtered at tho municipal. abattoirs, in the Nguhauranga Gorge. An inquiry was made of the manager, Mr. Mackley, yesterday as to whether the strike had affected any of tho men working at tho abattoirs. Ths reply came over the wire: "No strike—all rislit out here!"