THE SLAUGHTERMEN

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 27 January 1913, Page 5

THE SLAUGHTERMEN

. The conference between representatives of the Wellington Farmers' .aleat" Company and the Slaughtering -Uiuojn, which wo stated in our UmtcKv, ~]»<» «t 3 '.ctock® ■U„. afternoon, and -lasted nut • (i'rtock 'Tlio Company ivas reprcbont; vr ™t "\lcl\eiv/H! (director). - * ' Urv). ' Till' roprosontatives ol Ylr>«r4 M. J. Heardon men were Messrs m. >■ ■ (aeuvota rv oi' the Union) and J. Busbop (local secretary). The conference : throughout was of * cordial charac■ier, and eventually an agreement was ,ai-rived at, under which the work* will . remain open- The agreement provides for the payment oi 30s per hundred: lor sheep "and lambs s.augh- ! ier'6(l, ; arti 6d' per head for beof cattle. The slaughtermen lid not press their demands in regard to learners, and these were considerably /-modified. The whole of. the :agree- • ment, with the exception of that por-: tion relating to wages., is practically the same as the conditions which ;for- '• merly existed.' Hitherto the contli- , tiou,s have not formed part of an agreement. The jnew agreement will be for thTee yeaxs, and will come into force on Thursday next, it is ex- * peeted that it ■will- be iegi>t'-ied it . a later date under the Arbitration ' and Conciliation Act. • Mil COOPER INTERVi K WED. In an interview with Mr J. C " Cooper, managing director of Uie we-liugtoD-.Farmers' ■ Meat- Company,-a representative of the Age p.leane« ' that the agreement made with tin -sUxughtermeu had been approved ),V .'.' the directors of tlie Company -as *' bodv. The general conditions neve '• V erv little different from lo.>se that " iocmerly existed, excepting ui the matter of the rates of pa*., , MX Cooper stated that the Company wa. in such a position financially tbas it : could have closed its works .tor the. next ten months without a.uv serous financial embarrassment. The .ncrease of wages from the _27s 'id . hv the other companies to the .iUs which • this Company has a«r«;ed tv nav. meant a difference of about ' for the"remainder of tlie season. Hac. •' the work's been closed, the '.«< to-, he district would represent many thousands, to say nothing of the loss ot . wages' to the other ■employees, fi mounting possibly to £15,000. facts, and particularly the postion the .settlers that had .influenced t'„e Company in its decision. Mr Conner further stated that his Company did not propose slaughtering ) the clients of other companies..- U - had - already refused offers m 11115 direction, ajid would continue to do ■BO. |

THE PRECISE AGREEMENT. The ordinary hours of work to be between 7.30 o'clock and 0 p.in. 0,1 five days of the week, w:t'i one i hour for lunch between 12 :ind 1 j o'clock. On Saturdays worl; shall | cease not later than 12 noon, and provision is made for 12 minutes "smoko." Rates for .»nee,"> and la nibs, or sheep ajnd lamos not. otherwise specified, shall ->e 30s per hundred; double-fleece ,sheep, 37s 6d; rams and stags, other than ram lambs. 6d each : dead sheep or lambs. Is per head, no sheep or lamhs to be dressed "wiMi " lour> shanks...and no . daggy sheep rr lambs he' killed." ' The rateo for cattle are to be. and cews 2s 6d per head: - bulk.-9* Gd : nil bulls to be chopned and .soff-sided. otherwise double rates to he paid. Calves up to TOO lbs. Is 6d b f *nd: over lOOlbs and up to 200H*s. 2s : over 2Dolbs. a', beef rates. All dead cattle .lone at t'ho to l>e n -iid for nt the rate of" T.s fid each'. Rate* for . killing pigs are as follows: Up to I2olbs, Is - from 120!bs to 90nibs. Is 6d: from 2001bs to 2201b*. 2s; all weights over 3201K 2s Gd. Provision is made for 15 minutes' "smoko" at as nearly as possible 9.45 im the forenoon. and 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the head butcher to be empowered to vary the time by quarter of an hour either nay. Overtime: Overtime sjiall be paid for at .the r!>te of time and a-half, and not more than one hour overtime per day to bo worked. No overtime to he'worked on Saturdays unless a public holiday occurs during the week, when overtime mav be worked at the rate of time and a-quai-ter. ""Waiting-time'? is also to bo. paid for. It is agreed that '-"Slaughtermen .shall wait fifteen minutes i,n the event of' a' "cut-out," but if required to wait longer thev Hhall bo paid at the rate of 2s Gd per hour for all such time, Tf a man arrives at the works without receiving notice that there is to be no killing. lie shall receive 3s per hour waiting time. DUTIES OF THE KTT/LERS. Mutton butchers' duties are set out as follows: Kill, take out tongues. take off and skin (including wool piece on head), sever wool pieces, take insides nit, wipe, and put on strings, no string to be used twice. Slaughtermen .shall be allowed to cut wool piece no or <lown as they please. Beef butchers are to stun or pith the animal. bleed, and take head off, lioist.. ground, ta.ke hide off. skin, and. take toil off, take inside out. take out kidney-s, istrip, oft ill. wipe

AN IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT > THE WAINGAWA DISPUTE SETTLED WORKS WILL REMAIN OPEN , 4.. * * THE PRECISE TERMS OF AGREEMENT

and clean, divide into sides, saw rump, and saw from second joint on loin to fourth rib from neck. Cattle- to be:, pithed to be put in pens by employers. IMPORTANT LEARNERS' CLAUSE. Learners are to be dealt with as follows in the new agreement. Each learner.shall be. provided with a liook. Learners shall be- employod in such proportion to slaughter* men that there shall not'bo nvrre . than one learner to eAcvli ten slaughtermen or.Tracti<?» of ten. Slaugh'te mien's labourers shall be 'given preference as learners. Learners capable of killing and. dressing eight sheep or lambs por hour for freezing purposes to the satisfaction of tho foreman butcher shall br> classed as competent slaughtermen, and shall be transferred from the learners' class. It is provided that not more than one set of learners shall be allowed, to work in the shed in «any season Learners shall be paid for slaughtering done by them, at not less than the rates specified in this agreement. Each learner must, be a member of bunion affiliated with the New Zealand' Federation. •Thq;;'Fedorafcion • -ball not fine or ; ih ' h'ny way penalise any member thereof for Incoming a member under the provisions of this agreement, or for tenoning any such learfner in accordance with the said provisions. No beef 'butchers 'shall l>e allowed to omnlov labourers. , HQLIDAYS FIXED. Holidays are agreed upon a,s follow : Recognised holidays to be NewYear's Dav, Christinas Day, Boxing Day, King's Birthday, Good Friday, Easter Mondav, and Labour Day.. Two other holidays to be arrangefd in the m<ynth of Novemlier each year to meet local requireihents. All work done on tlie abovertiaro--ed holiday, or on Sundays, to be oaid for at" double rates. PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS. : Preference of employment shall be Rive" to-memliers- of the New Zealand Slaughtermen's Federation, or affiliated unions. A;ny member _ who is appointed as a foreman oi ,r to any other position of trusi; shall cease to .become a member of 4he union.

• - • GENERAL. / Under tlie heading of general, it J is provided that not more than one ( slaughterman shall be engaged on ) each hook in each shed. Not more • than two men are to work in one > in n. Tn the event of n man meeting with an accident, the employer shall have the right to temporarily fill the vacancy. Wages shall be paid weekly ( two days "lie-time" to be-allowed Drinking water, shall be provided on the board, and boiling water to be supplied for making hot drinks. Employers shall provide also a medicine chest and bandages on the works (or .the board) for slaughter- ' men. Provision is made also tor grind-stones " for the exclusi.v ... of the "killers." in the nroportrjn of one in twenty.

With regard to. the covering of sheep pens, that is going, to- be ,done, as is also the provision of bathing, and dressing accommodation for the men, before any other improvements are effected at the works.

MEETING OF FARMERS' UNION. RECOMMENDATION TO THE COMPANIES. A Carterton correspondent informs us that a meeting of delegates from the various branches of the Farmers' Union- was held in that township one day last week, when the position in regard to the crisis wa-s discussed. It. wa<&- unanimously deckled -to recommend the companies to concede the demand of 30s per hundred for slaughtering, but to maintain the other conditions as at present. This resolution has, it is understood, beeiti forwarded to the companies interested.

MR REAR DON' INTERVIEWED. - A representative of the Aire had a brief-interview last night with Mr M. .T. Reardoiv. secretary of tlie N.Z. Slaughtermen's.F,(sle-ra-t-ion. Mr Reardon stated., tjfrat :he -was thoroughly satisfied the .agreement 'made witb. the 'Wellington -Farmers' Meat Company, and he believed that it would be endorsed by the slaughtermen throughout New Zealand. Asked as to the prospects of negotiations with other companies. Mr R-eardon «aid he hoped and believed that these would be entered o>i duringthe present week. The firm of Thomas Borthwick and -Sons, -iy>v instance', whoso works were at Waita.ra andPaki Paki, load. jUi Australasian reputation as emplo-vefis-of')alj<;ur; ami he co.uld: not think that they--would refuse to meet the men in conference before tlie expiry of the present agreement.

I Mr Ronrtlnn emphasised the point I that in nuv future agreement tli:>t mifjht he made, no essential departure j would ho mad» from the acreemout arrivPfl at witli the Wellinjiion Farmers' Meat Company. Tn jinswor to a question as to wheI th<*r other labour mds likely to he .employed to fill the hoards at Tetone and elsewhere, Mr ißenrdnn lie I had lieard of no movement in this dir- , ection, } "Tf sueh n inoveir.ent were made, what would happen?" "Previous experienced in, th''! Ini dustry," s:nid Mr "Renrdon, "lias shown | that such an effort leads to a cmfir. •ston. that does not end with a pettleJ ment. The men who take employment in suc-Jt oitrum.stances have, very little proNiwot of setting work in other ahflds." Asked tow many won were in voir-

e<l in the present crisis, Mr Reardon said there were between 800 and 000 slaughtermen, and between 4000 and '.">000 other employees. If . -the dispute were not settled during the current week, the upheaval would be the greatest in New Zealand si nee the maritime strike of 1890. He felt, sure that no other industry would be involved, as- the slaughtermen would win or lose off their own bat.