STRIKE OF OFFAL HANDS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10513, 30 December 1911, Page 5

STRIKE OF OFFAL HANDS

AT GEAR MEAT WORKS. A SETTLEMENT ARRANGED. (By Telegraph—Tress Association.) WELLINGTON, Last Night, This morning at 9 o'clock tlhe offal hands at tlhe Gear Meat Works, at Petone, sent a- demand to their manager for an increase of 3d per hour in their pay, and intimated that they would cease work at onco if a favourable reply was not given. At 9.30 their demands had not l>eeii complied with, and they went-out. During the afternoon negotiations were entered into -with the directors and a settlement was arrived at. The men will resume to-morrow morning. The trouble arose over the contract svst-om, and the inequality of pay. The contract system has been abolished, and the money will lie equally distributed among tlio men with the foreman to direct operations. The strike at Pettone was precipitated by the offal hands at''the Wellington Meat Co.'s works at Ngahauranga, going out on the previous evening, their grievances being identical with tlhe Petone men's. They, however, were not so successful, and returned to work under the old conditions to-day. Several of their number were refused j re-instatement. There is.no union among the offal hands at either place, j Mr Corner, manager of the slaughtering department of the Gear Co., states that he knows of no reason for the alleged discontent, as the men. at both places received (higher pay than those of any other freezing works in the Dominion.