“Dark Age Slavery”

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 140, 3 September 1927, Page 13

“Dark Age Slavery”

ARBITRATION AWARDS WORK IN DAIRY FACTORIES “TT’S all fiddlesticks. None of the deputation’s statements would impress a child,” Mr. J. P. John, secretary to the Dairy Factories’ Employees’ Union made this remark, referring to the dairy companies’ deputation to the Ministry yesterday advocating that the companies should be exempt from the awards of the Arbitration Court. “As for Mr. A. Morton’s misguided statement about strikes they are ridiculous. “I defy Mr. Morton or any other gentleman to say that there has ever been any suggestion of strikes. “The unions have never contemplated sympathetic or any other strikes. All they have fought for is a fair wage for a fair day’s labour. Yet the position to-day is that the dairy employees’ wage works out at about Is 4d an hour. They must be the lowest paid adult workers in the Dominion. “It has been characteristic of our dispute for both parties to leave each other in the best of feelings and entrust the settlement to the court, and the companies need never complain about the way the Arbitration Court has treated them. Each side has loyally abided by the decision of the court, and the unions will continue to do so.

No other industry has received tlr same consideration.

“Under the present Arbitration Court award the hours and wages are as follow:

“Cheese factory workers’ hours are 60 per week of seven days from August 14 to May 14, and from May 15 to June 16 48 hours; from June 17 to August 13, 38 hours. Butter factory hours are 56 a week of seven days from August 15 to March 15, and from March 16 to August 14, 44 hours.

“The great majority of these workers are termed general hands, and for the above hours they receive the magnificent sum of £4 Is a week, which, worked out on an hourly basis, clearly shows the workers to be practical 7 !* the lowest paid workers in New Zealand, despite the fact that they are employed in New Zealand’s greatest industry, and by their work greatly contribute to the present wealth and prosperity of this country. “WHAT DO FARMERS WANT?” “Mr. C. E. Macmillan’s remarks about the men not wanting to be members of the unions is controverted directly by the strength of the organisations in Auckland, Taranaki, Wellington, Otago and Southland. If it was not for our unions, what on earth would happen?

“What do the farmers want? Do they wish the men to work more than 60 hours in a seven-day week, or do they wish to give less than £4 1s a week? That would be dark age slavery.

“They would have to import Asiatics, for no white man could work under conditions any worse than prevail in the industry to-day. “There were a lot of statements made that can’t be substantiated. I don’t know where the bad feeling referred to has been found, but I do know that in the 10 years since the industry has been governed by awards there has been tremendous progress to the record production of last year As far as the assertion of inferior quality of produce is concerned, I fail to see how that can be blamed on unionism,” concluded Mr. John.