£1,000,000 RISE IN LABOUR COSTS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 70, 15 December 1937, Page 5

£1,000,000 RISE IN LABOUR COSTS

-Press Assooiation.)

(By Telegraph-

AUCKLAND, This Day. "It is estimated that the union's present claims, including the cost of various overhead conditions, particularly overtime. will add more than £500,900 to the wages bill in the industry," sai.d Mr C. G. Wilkin, of Christchurch, "'opening the .employers-' side of the freezing-works dispute in the second Arbitration Court. The extra cost of the increases embodied in last year's award was estimated at about £450,000, Mr Wilkin added, and the companies felt that, taking the long view of market values for the industry's products, and having regard to the fact that, directly or indirectly. additional charges fell on the farming community, the addition in two years of £1,000,000 to the annual wages bill was not warranted. The present claim would mean an increase of 80 per cent. to the 1935-36 wages bill. Mr Wilkin said that the employers considered that, not only was thero no case for any increase, bu,t they were justified in asking for some relief from certain of the present rates, where labour costs were out of all proportion to the nature of the work and the value of the product, In reply to the Union's request for a 40-hour five-day week, Mr Wilkin said that, in the very nature of the industry, it was absolutely necessary that much of the work must be carried on without interruption for at least 24 hours after the killing of the stock. Much valuable stock matured in riishes on aieeount of sfeasonal conditions and the deletion of Saturday work would mean a delay in killing apd a seriqus. loss to the farm,ef.