FREEZING INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 September 1921, Page 8

FREEZING INDUSTRY.

THE WAGES OF WORKERS. NEW AWARD WANTED. REFERRED TO THE COURT. An application by the freezing companies in North Taranaki for a new award governing wages and conditions of employment. was considered at a sitting of the Conciliation Council held in New Plymouth yesterday. The employees were cited recently by the employers, who presented claims for a reversion to the rates of pay which obtained in 1919. This was opposed by the union, who desire to retain the existing rates. Mr. Newton (Wellington), Conciliation Commissioner, presided. The assessors were: For the companies, Messrs. J. Quin (Eltham), H. B. Gray (New Plymouth), W. Maitland (Hastings), and A. S. Cookson (companies’ agent, Dunedin). The following appeared for the unions, Messrs. F. S. Ellis (Christchurch), F. Niall (Wellington), F. D. Ewing (Waitara), with Mr. W. E. Gill (union agent, Auckland). The Commissioner remarked that it was practically a fnatter affected by conditions in other parts of the Dominion, and a meeting of the Council had already been held in Wellington, but not very much had been agreed upon there. Mr. Cookson said that the employers’ assessors had discussed the matter fully on the preceding night, and were not in a position to go any further in regard to wages than they were at the Wellington sitting.

Mr. Niall remarked that employers’ assessors were strangely silent, although it was their application for a reduction in wages that was being considered. The Commissioner said that a number of reasons had been given in Wellington, but he did not know whether they were logical.

Mr. Ellis said that the employers’ assessors had said that the “cockies” were pushing them. Mr. Sill said that they had contended that the farmers’ interests were paramount, and that they (the companies) could not face the music afterwards. He suggested that next time wages came up for consideration the assessors for the employers should all be farmers. The companies should not hide behind the farmers.

THE COMPANIES’ VIEW. Putting the position from the companies’ point of view, Mr. Cookson said that the freezing companies might quite well be able to pay the present wages for this season, but, if they paid them and the charges for freezing remained the same, there might be no stock to freeze. Therefore the producers of the stock became a party in the dispute, and their interests had to be taken into consideration.

Mr. Gray said that there was no gainsaying that the season had been probably the hardest they had ever had. Answering one of the employees’ assessors, he said that he did not blame wages wholly. Mr. Ewing said that the cause of the trouble was the excessive land values. Mr. Cookson suggested that they should leave industrial matters and get up an agitation to reduce the value of land. Discussing the matter further, Mr. Sill said that wages probably would have to go down, not because it was reasonable, but because the workers had not the economic strength that the land-owners had. Mr. Ellis remarked that if the employers were going to “sit pat on their offer” no progress could be made, and it was no use diacussing wages further. Agreement was arrived at only on certain machinery clauses, the schedule relating to hours and wages being referred to the Arbitration Court. There was considerable discussion on the question of “lie time” (the period for which wages are held in hand by the employer). The companies’ representatives desired this to be increased from two to three days, which was objected to by the union delegates. The employers thought that the extra allowance was necessary in order to give them an opportunity to make up the time-sheets. A round-table talk did not result in any agreement, and the matter was also referred to the Arbitration Court. STATEMENT OF CLAIMS.

Included in the company’s statement of the dispute, was the following schedule of hours, wages, and conditions:— Hours of Work. Except where otherwise specified, the hours of work shall be between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on five days of the week, and between 7 a.m. and 12 noon on Saturdays. An ordinary day’s work shall not exceed eight hours between 7 a.m. and 5 p.tu. on five days of the week, and four hours between 7 a.m. and 12 noon on Saturday’s, including “smoke oh.” One .hour shall be allowed for lunch, except where otherwise mutually arranged in any department in any works. The hours of work for freezing chamber hands as hereinafter defined shall be eight hours in any twenty-four, reckoning from midnight to midnight. Overtime rate shall be paid for all time worked in excess of eight.hours in each twenty-four. Each day’s time to stand by itself. The employers shall be at liberty to start men before the hours mentioned, to do essentially necessary preparing work for the day’s operations, without overtime being paid for such work. In all departments where not otherwise specified shifts may be worked to whatever extent necessary to cope with the work. Rates of Pay, Slaughtering.—All sheep not otherwise specified, £1 15s per 100; all lambs not otherwise specified, £1 12s 6d per 100; show sheep and lambs, £2 per 100; all unshorn sheep after November 30, rate and a half; rams and genuine stags, other than ram lambs, rate and a half; all cattle other than bulls and genuine stags, 2s 3d per head; bulls and genuine stags, 2s fid per head tali bulls to be chopped) ; calves over 250 lbs, patile rates; if unskinned, 50 per eent. reduction; pigs, up Io 1201bs, Is Id per head; pigs, 1201bs and over, Is 8d per head. The ruling of the foreman butcher as to the description of any class of stock shall be final. Manure and tallow department, Is 9d per hour. Oleo department, Is fid per hour. Freezing chamber hands, Is lid per hour. Preserving department: Boners, Is 9Ad per hour; tinsmiths, Is lOAd; second preserver, Is 10^d; all other workers not specified, Is 9d. Slaughterhouse and cooling-room assistI ants and runners off, Is fid per hour. I Casing department: Machine feeders, 2s 2d per hour; classers, scrapers, etc., 2s Id per hour; bung bands, salters and learners, 'is lOd; boys, from £1 7s to £1 16s per week. Piecework Rates. Strippers, £1 Ss per 1000; bung hands (short bungs), £1 2« 6d per 1000; bung hands (long Jpings), £1 7s prs IQQQ

Fellmongery.—Pullers, per 100 skins, 6s lOJd; skin washers, per hour, Is 9id. Skin washers, lime dollymen, painters and trimmers, Is 9id per hour ; painters on piecework (to include flagging, trimming, painting and carrying away), November to March inclusive 3s 7d per 100, April to end of season 3s lOd pre 100; piece or pie men (piecework at per lb on weight of dry wool) at rates to be agreed upon between employer and workers; wool driers, Is 9d; pressers, Is fid per hour; pressers, Is fid per bale; pressers, per bale (if-power supplied, 20 per cent, less), Is 3d. Engine room.—Greasers, firemen, cleaners, gas producers and trimmers, at the rate of 14s per watch of eight hours. Greasers, firemen, cleaners, gas producers and trimmers shall work, if required, seven watches per week without extra payment for work done on Sundays and holidays. They shall have an annual holiday of one week for each six months’ complete service on full pay. When qngaged removing soot from flues, workers shall be paid 2s per day extra, except on Sundays, when double ordinary time shall be paid. Night watchmen shall not be subject to I the terms of this agreement. Carters and shunters, if not permanent, Is fid per hour. Meat graders, if not permanent, 2s per hour. Shop butcher, if not permanent, 2s per hour. Workers not otherwise specified, Is fid per hour. Employment of Youths. Boys and youths up to the age of twenty yaers may be employed in the proportion of one boy or youth to every three men employed in each department (bag-room excepted), at wages ranging from £1 5s to £2 15s according to age. Overtime. Except where otherwise provided, all time worked in excess of the hours mentioned in any one day shall be considered overtime, and shall be paid for at the rate of time and a quarter for the first two hours and time and a half thereafter. On Saturday afternoon time and a quarter shall be paid for all time worked between 12 noon and 1 pan. Double rates shall be paid for all work done on Christmas Day, Good Friday, and on Sundays. Rate and a half shall be paid for all work done on each of the following days: New Year’s Day, Easter Saturday, Easter Monday, Labor Day, Birthday of reigning Sovereign, and Boxing Day; also on one other holiday to be mutually arranged at the beginning of the season. Waiting time for pieceworkers shall be paid for at the rate of 2s per hour, and if no work is available they shall be paid for a minimum of two hours. Waiting time for other workers shall be paid for at their ordinary rate per hour, and if no work is available they shall be paid for a minimum of two hours. Learners. The employer may employ learners on the slaughtering board in such proportion to the slaughtermen that there shall not be more than one learner to every three slaughtermen or fraction of three slaughtermen. In cases where the union on request fail to supply the number of ... .npetent slaughtermen required the employer to have the right to make up j;he number by employing additional learners.

Learners on the beef or mutton board shall be paid at the minimum rate of Is fid per hour until they are capable, at the discretion of the foreman, of earning an equivalent amount at the piecework rates specified.

The counter proposals were those drawn up by the New Zealand Freezing Works and Related Trades Industrial Association, and set out a scale of wages which it was stated were the same as is now being paid. In regard to over Mme, they asked for time and a half for the first three hours, and double time afterwards. Their schedule of holidays showed an increase of two on those mentioned in the citation, and the time asked for “smokc-oh” was a quarter of an hour, against ten minutes r'ggested by the companies. The unions also asked that the proportion of learners should not be more than one to every six slaughtermen.