MEAT-WORKS STRIKE

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1368, 20 February 1912, Page 6

MEAT-WORKS STRIKE

A CONFERENCE

THIS OVERTIME QUESTION

On Saturday afternoon Mr. P. Ually, Conciliation Commissioner, accompanied bv Mr. It. Jones, president of the Slaughtermen's Federation, met the heads of the meat companies and discussed the possibility of arranging a conference. The employers held to their original oll'er to discuss anything but the provisions for an 8 to 5 day, and overtime outside those horn's. If tho men abandoned thi.s claim the conference could be hold to settle other claims.

Delegates from the men attendfd at tho Employers' Federation rooms to confor with the companies' representatives yesterday morning. This meant, of course, that they had dropped their 8 to 5 day claim—and it was on this point that the difference occurred which brought on the strike. No business was done until the afternoon, < wing to' the. inability of tho Meat Export Company to be represented. The conference, met at 1 p.m., and began to go through the schedule of demands, re vresentatires from each department settling everything affecting their branch. The conference rose shortly aftor 11 p.m., no information being available to newspaper nieu. Tho following statement of' what occurred was mado to a Dominion , reporter by Mr. M. J. Reardon, secretary of tho union:—

"Negotiations opened at four o'clock, and continued until 6.15. We adjourned then, and resumed at 7.15. When we. adjourned it was felt all round that a (settlement would certainly bo arrived at within three hours. Going through the log, we had got over the slaughterhouse assistants' list, which dealt with fourteen different cla.sse.s ot work, arid had also got over twenty-two items of tho fellmongery department's list. On resumption, there was considerable delay over a dispute a.s to the piecework rates to bo paid in the fellmongery department. After on hour's discussion, this was.temporarily settled with a view of making some progress with the other departments. The next item was 'freezing chamber hands.' The employers' representatives proposed an arrangement which would evade overtime .payment for the discharging work. , The r?presentatives of the .Department immediately pointed out that we had met on tho clear understanding that the companies were prepared-to pay overtime rates after eight hours had been worked. Tho men's representatives were unanimously agreed that as tar as the negotiations had gone everyone was clearly under tho.impression that the employers terms were timo and. a quarter after eight hours' work. The representatives of tho companies immediately replied that if we insisted upon this time and a. quarter rate for. discharging, they would have to consider the reduction in tnc ordinary rates for freezers. ™t Ti V< n "'■ - fa -r ns tho negotiations got. ih p Commissioner . suggested that .0 parties should meet aga?n to-morrow (.V' ( ;f l!l y)..at.7 0 clock. ' • Ihe union's submission is that at disf?n ?l°' nfc in - th - e , disc » SEi °>i 'hey wer* promised overtimo rates after eight ordinary,hours had been worked. ,i fIS i^[ D 0 ° ut h \' tho ° flic 'al statement, which appeared in the three Wellington paper?, given '.by the Hon. CM. Luke, who presided at the first conference. In it he says:-'Tho crucial point in dispute was a ? to what.hour in the twenty-four overtime should start.' The companies are prepared to pay overtimo but n,i Or -rM k don r af - tOT -defct l>°»rs. but the eight-hours day is to begin at any j?™ d h "». hc « --hours suitable . fc tho character of thc-Vork" in:/which nS,i k E £ a! : emtmt - further, supby Mr. Tripo, secretary of the loi\s But they were prepared to disS 1 j P° sltlon on the basis already described-overtime to start at tiWe aSI ho2rs a ' r work' "* lapE ° <,f Cfgllt "Mr. R, Jones, president.of the Slau»hS'JflS ™ted on.Saturday on Mr. W. H. Millard, managing director o flho Gear Company, and it was because of that interview that'tho conference was agreed upon. , .Mr,. Jones disPnctly stated to the representatives of the men that Mi Millwaru was quite agreeable that negotiations should open on the conditions of overtime-hero dps. cribed-time and a quarter after eight hours work. s

"My opinion is that it will bo difficult tor the men in these circumstances to tool that the, companies are sincere in their desire for a settlement. They agreed to drop the .8 to 5 claim, on account of tliM representations of the slaughtermen, biu they did so on the understanding that there should he overtime paid after 8 lours at time and n quarter rates Nobody misunderstood tlris. It was a great surprise, when we found two-representa-tives of the employers who tried to make it a condition of settlement that if overtime rates were insisted jipou. they must reduce existing rates ior ordinary time, in the particular department then under rertew. , ' In spite of much exhortation to the. contrary, the wharf labourers go on working frozen meat from the cloyed works. A shipment of Meat Export iambs was' nut. on . boaH Uw -l-iiniii yesterday. A .meeting...of-.the' Wharf Labourers Union was held on Saturday afternoon, but the attendance.was small and it was agreed ..that Mr. Iteardon should add'p.'s t'io mo\\ fce|v>n» v;m|[ nu Monday. He addressed a crowd of .'men in the Post Office Square shortly before S o'clock yesterday morning, and a resolution to the effect that no more meat from.the two works bo handled on the wharves was declared carried. ~ A forest of hands were raised ■in 'support qf it, biit they were the hands of"outK)fworks." The men who would, under any circumstances, have handled the meat were not there. "