DOWN TOOLS!

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 191, 10 February 1912, Page 5

DOWN TOOLS!

MEAT COMPANIES' MEN STRIKE. PERISHABLE GOODS WASTING. OTHER WORKS'AFFECTED. By Tefegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. This morning at 0 o'clock, after working two hours, the general laborers clowned tools at the Gear Meat Company's works at Petone, put on their coats and filed out, leaving the whole place in a litter, and hundreds of pounds' worth of perishable goods, etc., untended. The laborers employed at the Wellington Meat Export Company's works at Ngahauranga also ceased work. The number of strikers is about 400, but about the same number of slaughtermen and other employees at the two freezing works are also thrown out of work. Both sides , are reticent in regard to the dispute The following official statement, however, is made by the Hon. C: M. Luke, M.L.C., who presided over yesterday's conference, by agreement of both parties: "The men directly affected by (the dispute are not slaughtermen, but men engaged in other branches and sidelines of the freezing industry. The conditions of the trade are such that certain sections of the employees must be at work in the morning to prepare the material for the other branches to deal with. Each branch depends on the other. This is the character of the work in the freezing industry through"out the Dominion. The conditions are very much the same as in the Gear Works at Petone and the Wellington Meat Export Company's works at Ngahauranga. With slight modifications there was to a large extent an agreement on the question of wages yesterday. The crucial point in dispute was as to what hour of the twenty-four overtime should start. The companies are prepared to pay overtime rates for work done after eight hours, but the eight hours itself has to begin at any period in the twenty-four suitable for the character of the work in which the respective sections of employees.are engaged. The employees in question embrace such departments of industry as floormeri, boners, cooling chamber hands, general laborers, meat clasaers, weigh clerks, temporary clerks, trimmers, ticket boys, gut men and gut runners, pressers, vat hands, N dryers, crushers, baggers, etc. Some of the men represent unskilled labor, and others skilled labor. A separate union of these employees has just been formed. A rise of wages was given by employers about a fortnight ago, voluntarily, prior to their being served with notice. The men want the day's work (eight hours) to be comprised within the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., all other time to count as overtime. The employers want eight hours of ordinary time to start from the time' when the men actually, commence work. This varies acobrding to the character of the work, Somfl men start at 4.30 a.m., some at, ,6 and some at 7 o'clock.. The claim.f« overtime by the men was at time and. a! half rates. It was pointed out that they had frequently to work broken time, on account of the exigencies of the business. It was also urged that the slaughtermen were allowed overtime. The unions' representatives suggested' time and a half for the first two hours of the overtime, and time and a quarter after that. They eventually agreed that they would accept time and a quarter all round. They stood firm on this point, and the employers were equally firm in resisting it. The companies were prepared to make certain concessions to those who were working broken time, but the negotiations broke down-on the crucial point, as to when overtime should* start."