WESTFIELD STOPPAGE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 158, 4 June 1940, Page 2

WESTFIELD STOPPAGE.

SLAUGHTERMEN’S CASE. ALLEGEDLY MISINFORMED. Per Press Association. ' ' ( AUCKLAND, June 3. Over 100 men and youths were involved in the stoppage of work at Westfield to-day, wiien the slaughtermen ceased at 10 o’clock. Operations were commenced at the usual hour in all departments at the works, hut , about eight slaughtermen did not ati tend for work. iAu official of the. Workers’ Union stated to-night that the ineeting of' slaughtermen was not an official one, anil was called by the , men themselves. Ttie president of the works branch of the' union was not present. . I 'Commenting on their' decision, sevleral of the slaughtermen alleged that ! they had been misinformed hv the Government s representative (Mr C. L. Hunter) at Friday s meeting. *He had given them to understand ..that ail race, meetings, including to-day’s Ellefslie -meeting, were, to be.' oancel- : led. “We were led to beliq.ye R .wojuld *be - useless to observe . the•• commented one worker. ,v ho The decision to cease work was njado when it was learned that the. 1 races were to be,held. The works management'said they had planned for a lull day’s operations in killing and .handling beef cattle.'Only a small portion of the cattle brought, to the works had been handled, by the time the men ceased work. Over 60 men were normally employed on the slaughtering floor and about 40 workers in the allied department. Work had beeif carried out as usual in the canning, preserving, tannery and other departments.' ■ ■ ..... , ' , - .- j t There was no interruption nn the operations at other works in the neighbourhood. It .was stated that the slaughtermen at the Auckland municipal abattoirs had refused to complete the handling of 100 head/of beef cattle under arrangement 'with : u the Westfield company when it was learned that the company’s workers had ceased work. “Tbe cattle are'sent to the abattoirs under normal arrangements,” stated an official of the Westfield company. “The fact that 100 head were sent to the abattoirs today was merely routine;- and had nothing to do with the . slaughtermen’s decision to stop work.” The company had been advised that . the abattoir workers refused to, continue killing -after the slaughtermen’s decision reached them. Only 18 of the 100 head had been handled when the abattoir staff adopted that attitude.