WILL THEY RE-START?

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8349, 8 February 1913, Page 6

WILL THEY RE-START?

LOCAL MEAT WORKS KILLING MAY BE RESUMED NEXT WEEK. It is believed by those in a position to judge that the meat freezing works at Petone and Ngahauranga will be opened again next week, with a suffi.ciency of killers, more or loss . expert, to ensure a good start. The applications which are coming in for hooks are said to bo quite satisfactory, as most of the men offering their services hare had some experience in killing and dressing sheep. An authoritative statement declares that the companies will stand through thick and thin by those killers and labourers whii now come forward. In connection with the recent re-registra-tion of three of the North Island unions, the Crown Law Office is to be requested to define “workers” as used in the Act. The contention is that tho slaughtermen, by voluntarily knocking off, cannot now ho described as “workers.” The point is an interesting one. 'AT PETON 11. Petone is gradually getting depleted of its slaughtermen, the single men having left to seek work elsewhere. Those men who remain have wives and families. Many are acquiring homes, and now that the strike is on they are afraid of losing the little they have. Altogether there are not more , than thirtysix butchers in the town’, and it is quite possible a number of ’ these will apply to be reinstated. “We cannot be designated as scabs,’’ said one slaughterman to a “Times” representative, “because we are going to work at a higher rate of pay than what we struck for. Our wives and families must he considered, and if a secret ballot was taken among the married men to-day all would elect to start work. If we went back to our job to-morrow at 30s per hundred we could not make up for the wages already lost, no matter how hard we worked.” Two other slaughtermen were of the same oninion. and there is no doubt, from the general feeling that exists, that if only requires one or two of the slaughtermen now on strike to lead the way and the majority will follow. If a settlement is como to much relief will be felt in the town, which at present is exceptionally quiet. A meeting of the Wellington Freezers' Union will be held at Petone on Monday at 8 p.m. to consider important business. LONGBXJRN WORKS RESTART ON MONDAY. Press Association. PALMERSTON N.. February 7. The Longburn Freezing Works are restarting on Monday with a full board of free labourers. HAWKE’S BAY TALLIES IMPROVING. Press Association. . , HASTINGS. February 7. There is little fresh to report as far as tho local works are concerned. Work is proceeding at a satisfactory rate, and tho new slaughtermen are becoming more expert with the knife, the result being that tallies are improving daily. Twelve men got through 200 sheep at Pakipaki yestereday, and it was estimated that 200 would be put through again to-day, the minimum wage of IDs a day being paid until the men are able to record better tallies. Applications are still coming in. from all over the district. . Twenty-eight ■’ hooks” were occupied at Tomoaha yesterday, and work continued at a very satisfactory pace. There were thirty butchers on the board this morning, including one or two who have been topuotchers in their time. Another of the strikers resumed work this morning. Most of the strikers have taken employment in the surrounding district at harvesting or any work they were able to obtain. They were still confident that the companies would give way. In regard to the statement by Mr Reardon that tho federation was in negotiation with a large buyer in the North-Island-who was prepared to grant tho men’s full deemands. a reporter has been informed on the best authroity that tho works in Hawke’s Bay have no such arrangement with any buyer as implied by Mr Reardon, and that it is not the practice of the management, of the works to accept contracts of that nature without a strike clause. GOOD WORK AT WAITARA. Press Association. NEW PLYMOUTH, February 7. Everything is progressing smoothly at Waitara, the boards being manned by tree labour. The men are doing so well that they cut out the' pens, and had to wait for further sheep to be hurried up. The manager says the men are doing quite as well as their predecessors, and the beards could have been tilled three times over. POSITION IN CANTERBURY. Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, February 7. Although the local meat freezing companies are not yet in a position to announce the date upon which slaughtering operations wild begin, at their larger works tho situation appears to be more hopeful than it has been for some time past. Applications from man willing to man the killing boards are coming In fairly satisfactorily, though it is questionable how long it will be before applications reach the number that will warrant the beginning of operations. News from Marlborough is to the effect that there is every likelihood of the Piotou works starting some time next week, ■and it is understood that slaughtering operations at the Burnside works in Otago may be.also started next week. The arrival at agreement between the companies and the slaughtermen’s assistants removes one complexity from the situation. _ Members of the Freezing Works Union do not speak enthusiastically regarding the basis upon which the agreement has been reached; in fact, they describe the agreement as a bad one, though admitting that it is the best possible that could be arrived at in the circumstances. The fact that they have accepted the agreement somewhat discounts their objections to it. The basis upon which the union desired slaugh terxnen’s assistants to bo paid 75 per cent, of the highest tally of the best slaughtermen was an extraordinary one, and was not considered a fair one from the point of view of the companies. Tho rate of pay agreed upon. Is 2Jd per houi, is practically an increase of 10 per cent, on the rate previously ruling. It is noteworthy that the terms offered by the companies to slaughtermen, 27s 6d per 100, is also a 10 per cent, increase on the rate previously paid. But, whereas slaughtermen’s assistants have agreed to the increase of 10 per cent, in ordei probably te ensure industrial peace, tho slaughtermen are holding out for 30s per 100 or a 20 per cent, increase. With reference to the statement raising doubts as to the legality of the registration of the Slaughtermen’s Union on the ground that tho members of the new union are not at present -"employed” by an employer, Mr C. Were, secretary of the union, informed a reporter that so far from the application being out of order it had been made on behalf of men who had not ceased work. There were twenty-four slaughtermen in the old Canterbury union who had not ceased work, hut had been kept on to J

slaughter for shops for local consumption. Nineteen members of the old union were in fact at present employed at the city abattoir, and only fifteen workers, in any case, are required to render the application valid, and must therefore be in order. Mr Were added with a smile that he was awaiting the next question by the employers. Mr Were has sent a telegram to the deputyregistrar of the industrial unions, embodying the statement made, for publication.

The conference between representatives of the Canterbury Freezing Workers' Union and of the Christchurch and Canterbury Frozen Meat Companies whicn opened yesterday was concluded to-day, when the parties arrived at an agreement in respect to the union’s demands. Steps will be taken at once to make the agreement an instrument of the Court of Arbitration. Mr F. C. Ellis, the secretary of tbe union, supplied a reporter with the following particulars of the agreement by the parties: Eight hours are to constitute a day’s work, which is to bo regulated by slaughtering operations; all hours worked beyond eight shall be considered overtime, and shall ho paid at the rate of time and a quarter for tho first two hours, and time and a halt afterwards, tho rates of pay for assistants eighteen years of age and over to bo Is 2jd per hour. If on any day workers are ordered to commence wort, and if worn done on that day snail he less than four hours, the workers shall neverthelessbo paid aa if they had worked four hours on that day. In the case of employment af youths, the rate of pay to bo: Fourteen to fifteen years, Xsa; fifteen to sixteen years, 17s; sixteen to seventeen years, 20s; seventeen to eighteen years, 255. Holiday* to be the same as the slaughtermen's. When a holiday falls on Sunday the following Monday shall be observed. No slaughtering for export to bo done on holidays or Sundays, but on Easter Monday, King’s Birthday, and Boxing Day employers shall bo at liberty to employ such of their employees aa they require for a period of four hour* for the purpose of slaughtering stock for local consumption only, payment for such work to be at rate of rime and a hafl. Wages are to be paid fortnightly, two days “lie” time to be allowed. The usual underrate workerc" clause is included fin the agreement. Employers may employ say worker they choose, provided that within one week of date oj his engagement the worker shall become and remain a member of tho union. "Smoke oh" fifteen minutes morning and afternoon, without deduction from men’s pay. Ample dressing rooms and lavatory accommodation are to bo provided. There is to be an equal distribution of work in each department. Gumboots, aproris, overalls, and leggings are to be supplied workers who require them by employers. In the cases where assistants have heen paid more than tho award rate they are to receive a corresponding increase. The rate of la each is fixed for skinning dead sheep or lambs. The rate under the award just expired was Is Id per hour. Tho guarantee of four hours’ work is an increase compared with the old award. It is understood the agreement will be for a term of three years. TIMARU WATERSIDERS. TIMARU. February 7. Tho local watersiders state they have no word from the federation of Labour about supporting the slaughtermen (who are not federationists), and the secretary dbes not anticipate such instructions. In their absence tuey would not'scruple to handle free labour meat. The Gisborne watersiders are on a different footing, being unfederated.