STRIKE AT WESTFIELD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 August 1938, Page 6

STRIKE AT WESTFIELD

FREEZING WORKERS REFUSE TO START DISPUTE OVER DRESSING ACCOMMODATION KILLING OF BOBBY CALVES HELD UP (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND. August 19. More than 600 workers, including girls, employed at the Westfield freezing works, refused to start work this morning because they objected to the dressing-room accommodation, which they considered was not in compliance with the terms of the award. No work was done by them today, part of the day being occupied by meetings, which were adjourned until tomorrow. The failure to start work, which is believed to have been the result of a decision made on Wednesday, came at a time when 4000 bobby calves were awaiting slaughter and, as they cannot be fed, an unfortunate situation has been created. With a scratch gang composed of foremen and other permanent employees, the company is endeavouring to kill as many as possible, and work proceeded for most of tonight, but it is stated that some of the bobby calves will undoubtedly die from hunger ana privation. The company made an appeal to slaughtermen to resume work until they had killed the bobby calves, but without result. It is also understood that the Minister of Labour, the Hon H. T. Armstrong, made’an-appeal in a telegram to the men. not only to resume work until their complaint could be investigated, but in any case to kill the bobby calves. Mr Armstrong, who said that the action of the men was embarrassing the Government, stated that the losses caused by failure to slaughter the calves would fall not upon the Westfield Freezing Company, Ltd., but upon the farmers who had consigned them to the works. Rakes of trucks closely packed with bobby calves stood at the sidings at the works throughout the day and the bleating of the calves was loud and continuous. Another problem then facing the company was the disposal of the large number of carcases of calves and cattle killed on the previous day, which were awaiting boning. A meeting of workers was addressed by an inspector of the Labour Department and also by Mr W. E. Sill, secretary of the Auckland Freezing Workers’ JJnion. Workers employed in the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company, Ltd’s Southdown works, and also at the works at Westfield of R. and W. Hellaby Ltd., decided at meetings today that they would refuse to kill any of the bobby calves consigned to the Westfield Freezing Company's works.

SIZE OF LOCKERS ARBITRATION COURT RULING AWAITED TALK OF POSSIBLE SPREAD OF DISPUTE (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH This Day. The action of six hundred employees of the Westfield Freezing Works in striking because they objected to conditions in their dressing rooms was the subject of comment this morning by Mr C. G. Wilkin, secretary of the North Island and South Island Freezing Companies’ associations.' The dispute, said Mr Wilkin, concerned locker accommodation at Westfield. In the Dominion Freezing Works. Award there was a clause stipulating that workers should be supplied with adequate locker accommodation. Lockers of adequate proportions had been installed at considerable expense by the company. The inspector of awards at Auckland had filed a case for interpretation by the Arbitration Court as to whether the dimensions of the lockers could be considered adequate. The Court had fixed October 6 for the hearing, so that the question of the lockers was sub j udice. Mr Wilkin emphasised the serious nature of the dispute. In the Auckland district, freezing works operated continuously, the killing of sheep and lambs, pigs, cattle and bobby calves following in sequence. The bobby calves held at the works were only a few days old and thus could not be fed. Unless they could be killed they would starve to death. It is understood from local informa- | tion that there is a possibility of the dispute spreading to affect works in Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay and the Wairarapa.