ANOTHER STRIKE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10556, 10 February 1912, Page 5

ANOTHER STRIKE

WELLINGTON MEAT WORKERS GO OUT

EIGHT HUNDRED MEN IDLE. (By Telegraph —Fress Association.) WELL!NOTON, Lust Night. This morning, at 9 o'clock, after working two hours, the general labourers "downed 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 of perishable goods, etc., untended. The labourers employed at the Wellington Meat Export Company's works atNgahauranga also ceased work. The number,, of strikers is about 4CO, but about the same number of slaughtermen and other employees at the freezing works are also thrown out of work. Both sides are reticent in regard to the dispute. OFFICIAL STATEMENT. The following official statement, however, is made by the Hon. C. M. Luke, M.L.C., who presided over yesterday's conference: —."By. the agreement of both parties, the men directly affected by the dispute are not slaughtermen, but men engaged in other branches and side-lines 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 throughout the Dominion. The conditions are very much the same 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 is engaged. The employees in question embrace such departments of industry as floormen, boners, cooling chamber hands, general labourers, meat classers, weigh cJerks, temporary clerks, trimmers, ticket.< boys, gutmieny.and,. gut r runrijßirs, ■ pressers, vat hands, dryers, crushers and bagg-; ers,. etc. Some of the men represent unskilled labour and others skilled labour. A -separate Union of. these employees lias just -been formed. " A rise of wages was given by the 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 nours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., all other tijne to count Overtime. Tho employei'6 TPJUIt eight hours of ordinary time to start from the time when the men actually commence work". This varies according to character of - the work. Some men start at 4.30 a.m., some at 6 a.m., and some at 7 o'clock. The claim for 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 alto urged that the slaughtermen were allowed overtime. The Union's representatives suggested time and a half fcr the first two hours of • overtime, and time and a quarter after that. They eventually agreed that they Mould accept time and a quarter all round. They stood firm on this point, and the employers were -qual'v firm in resisting it. 'lhe Companies were prepared to *make certain concessions to those ho were working broken time, but the negotiations broke down on the crucial point a.s to when overtime should, start."

The Evening Post states that the strike will not affect the Wellington daily meat supply. The Gear Company was putting through between. 6QCO and 7000 caroases a day—.the largest output, it is_ aiid, in the Dominion. It is rumoured that the Gear Meat Coniipar.y has three months' supply of meat on hand, and that the Meat Expert- Con pany also has a substantial supply in the freezing chambers.

When the, strike occurred a large quantity of stock was at Ngahauranga, awaiting slaughter. Arrangements were at once made to send it hack to the country, and the forwarding cf further supplies was also stepped. The same course was adopted by the Gear Company, which promptly arranged for the re-trncking cf stock alreadv at Petone.