DAIRY FACTORY WORKERS' CLAIMS

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5280, 17 December 1946, Page 5

DAIRY FACTORY WORKERS' CLAIMS

f Press Assn —

OVERTIMF, RAU X ' ' w PE10P0SALS FOR DOUBLE TIME ARE LIKELY |

-By Telegraph — Copyright.) i|

WELLINGTON, Last Night. ti J'ollowing an ultimatum to the |f er.iployers by the dairy factory || v ..rkers demanding certain con- 1 cc.isions, including *ne.w wage || :r;tes, on the threat of strike if $ tlie* conditions are not fulfilled by ,;j Wednesday? it is understood that \ steps are being taken by the . ;*] Government to .provide a higher F'nal rate for overtime work by 4 clrviry factory employees. . - 1 1 Under the second schedule of the iX' Factories Act dairy factory em- i pl :yees are given a penal rate of time ■ and a-half, and, new propesals are be- f'{ li'.ved to be in the course of eo-jn-pletion that will enable them to be G paid doubie time as the overtime iate. •• •Following a conference to-day with i the executive of the New Zeajan'd ; 1 Factory Employers' Industrial «Association and the president and vicepresident of the associationj" Mr. W. "Marshall and Mr. W. E. Scott, the secretary of the association, Mr. C. g. • Camp, sent the following urgent telegram to the secretary of the Dairy • Worlcers' Union, Mr. L« Robertson, in Auckland: • "Have referred your telephone I communication to the president and vice-president of the New Zealand Dairy Factory Employers' Assoeiatioxx in Wellington. ..The employers' - 1 assessors ax*e wiliing, as they always have been,. to meet the employers' assessors ixx conciliatioti at the earliest date suitable to the commissioner, yourself and m'yself, and \ to settle the uixiOn's lawful claims ift the manixer prescribed by the Act. "What has n%>w been doxxe wili xnakh this most diffieult, but having.in m,ind the possibxlity of a misunderstanding from a telephone conversation and the grave possibilities of the situation which has been created I snggest that your telephone eomnmnieation be submitted in writing. To save time this could be done by urgent telegram to-day." Hopes That Threat of Strike WilTBe Overcome HAMILTON, Last Night, With dairy produce urgently reouired by Britain, the dairying industry is hopeful that the threatened strike iix the dairy factories will not eventuate. During the strike neariy two years 'ago farmers co-operated in keeping the factories running and Ihe sexwices of members of the Armed Forces wex*e also used. With the hai'vesting season be* ginning in real earnest, the* ' threat by the workers to strike • has come at a most inopportune time for the industry, hut in the cvent of a strike it is probable that the farmers ^would again man the factories rather than - allow cream to be wasted. * , ■ ' A meeting of dairy factory workers in Whangarei decided to support any action hy the workers in the Waikato and Taranaki districts. It is stated that while th§ men have been notified tbat a work stoppage is likely, union officials are hopeful that the men's demands will he met without direct action. . " • * Basic Wage Increase Sotight Mr. C. L. Collier, secretary of the Northland sub-Kranch of the Dairy Factory Workers' Union, said that there had been discontent in the industry for some years and it had culmixxated ixx many factories being idle foi* vai'ious periods about two years ago. An increase in wages was then given but was nullified by a general wage increase over ali olassgs of workers so that the difference of hasie wage rates betweeix the dairy factory worker and fhose in other industries still existed. The men were asking for an increase from £5 ls 8d to £5 10s in the basic rate for a 40-hour week. This would be only 2s 9d an hour and leafc than the average of other industries. Surprise Mcwe Is Made By Government WELLINGTON, Last Night. A surprise* move was made by the Government in the dairy fmctory dispute to-day, when, by Order-in-Council, a portion of the Factories Act was revoked enabling dairy factory workers to reeeive doubie time for work on Sundays and holidays, instead of the pi-esent rate of time and a-half. The Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, and Minister of Labour, Mr. J. O'Brien, refused to-night to comment on the aitua- * ■ tion. The secretary of the Dairy . Workers' Union, Mi\ L. D. Roberts, of Auckland, is expected to arrive in Wellington tomorrow. Mr. Camp, secretary of the New Zealand Employers' Federation, said to-night that he had heen inforxned afficially that the second schedule of the Factories Act, 1936, had been incorporated into the new Act this y ear. This, he said, meant that all overtime work on Sundays and holidays would he payable at doubie time iixstead of time and a-half as recently. In some cases, work on holidays would be at triple time rates. *- 4