FREEZING WORKERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 November 1921, Page 6

FREEZING WORKERS.

THE HOLD UP AT GISBORNE. AN IMPORTANT PROPOSAL. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington,. Nov. 2G. The refusal of freezing 'workers to start at Gisborne was mentioned in the House by Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne), who asked if the Government would bring down legislation to stop any union from directly or indirectly preventing men applying for or starting work. He suggested" that the penalty for a breach of this rule should be the cancellation of registration of the union concerned. Penalties should be provided also for the man Who called, another man a “scab.” A Labor member: “Would the penalties apply to holding up wool?” Mr. Lysnar said that the workers had bren ready to start work at Gisborne. But he had been informed by the president of the Freezing Workers’ Union that they had hejd a meeting, at which four or five men were present, and had carried a resolution refusing to start work until a new award was made. His informant seemed to think there was nothing legally wrong about this. An award and an agreement were in operation and both had been broken by the men. The Government ought to take some action. Men ought not to be allowed to continue defying the decisions of the court and the laws of the country. The Prime Minister replied that he regretted the hold up of the freezing works at Gisborne. He hoped that the industry would not have a recurrence of last year’s troubles, when the delay in opening the works cost the Dominion a very large amount of money. Everything possible ought -to be done to keep the industries going at the present time. The matter mentioned by Mr. Lysnar was considered by the Crown law officers. A report and a recommendation probably would reach the Government within a few days.