FREEZING WORKERS' DEMAND

Taranaki Daily News, 10 December 1920, Page 4

FREEZING WORKERS' DEMAND

REPLY OF COMPANIES' COM; MITTEE. Br Telegraph.—Press Auoct&tloi. Wellington, Last Night. ' The committee of the Freezing Com* panics' Association, after considering th( replies received from the various com-' panies in connection with the demand* of the Employees' Federation for increased rates of pay, forwarded the fol« lowing letter to Mr. Niall (Federation secretary)We duly received your letter of 7th inat., together with a statement of the minimum rates which your committee is prepared to discuss with the freezing companies. We would .point out that we are prepared to grantto all pieceworkers an increase of 20 i per cent, on the 1819 agreement rates, as 1 it is precisely the same as the com- > panies have offered since the com-' ni&ncement of the negotiations. With - regard to time workers, we draw yoitr attention to the fact that the increases stated by you as the mjnimum vary from 25 per cent to 30 per cant, where•as the companies have already offered 22$ per cent. It will be evident, jtfiteefore, that you are discriminating afahtst the pieceworkers, as the 1 companies' original offer provided for an increase to the fullest extent that ca&d' Mr* bfen granted by the Arbitration Court,; in October, and considerably 'in excea*' ol what the Court would grant to-4sy.' The freezing companies' committee cannot accept such increases to the, time workers as you request. Any fOggestion that offers made by us In October do not cover the'later inoreaaes ia tte cost of livng that may have been *4pertained since that date, is fully met by, the companies' proposal that any variations in the cost of living would be dealt with by a" corresponding adjustment' in the wages every three months. ' The foregoing represents the unanl-, mous opinion of the freezing companies' committee, after consulting all the companies in the Dominion, and we IQUjt further notify you that unless th» Companies' generous offer of 20 per cent and 22% per cent, as detailed in our letter of November 1, is accepted before noon on Saturday, 11th inat., that offer must be cpnsidered as withdrawn; ap4 the whole question referred to the Aratration Court, all our offers being wijioufc prejudice to any ruling of that COUft.