WESTFIELD STRIKE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 December 1938, Page 6

WESTFIELD STRIKE

WORK STARTED YESTERDAY NO SECRET BALLOT TAKEN. APPEAL TO ARBITRATION COURT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, December 1. As a result of the decision reached at a mass meeting this morning, a majority of the 800 Westfield workers who have been idle since Monday resumed work at one o’clock this afternoon. The next step in the dispute will be the lodging with the Court of Arbitration of an appeal against the decision of Mr J. A. Gilmour, Industrial Magistrate, on the disputed clause in the award which says that not more than 35 workers shall be employed on any one chain. The application will be lodged in Wellington by the New Zealand Freezing Workers’ Association. The Court will probably be asked to exercise its powers in remedying any defect which it may find to exist in the award.

Apparently the good feeling of the meeting, which was held in the Trades Hall, had much to do with the fact that a secret ballot was not taken. Officials of the union explained afterward that had certain circumstances existed a secret ballot might have been essential, but it so happened that not a single request was heard for it this morning. “I do not think the atmosphere of the meeting could have been more harmonious,” said the union secretary, Mr Sill, after the executive had reported to him on developments. “There was no sign of any ill-feeling between sections of the workers and, though at first a few seemed to think a premature step had been taken, the decision to resume was practically unanimous.” The meeting was rounded off with a brief session of community singing of such songs as “Pack Up Your Troubles” and “Rainbow on the River.” The meeting also adopted a resolution of continued confidence in the executive members and secretary of the union. DISRUPTIVE ELEMENTS ALLEGED INTIMIDATION IN UNION. TRAVESTY ON DEMOCRATIC PROCEDURE. AUCKLAND, December 1. Disruptive influences of a small but controlling section of the union in Westfield were regarded as one of the principal factors contributing to the industrial unrest at the freezing works by a well-informed slaughterman. Stressing the fact that employees had lost about £3OOO in ceasing work this week to gain nothing that could not have been achieved by constitutional means, he alleged that the system on which votes were taken at the works was more often than not a travesty on democratic procedure. “The whole trouble seems to arise from'the fact that the men principally involved in the present dispute want to earn big money, without doing the work,” the slaughterman stated. “On the lamb and mutton ‘ring’ the workers have imposed a voluntary restriction limiting their output to 100' head of stock an hour for each, legger employed. For instance, if five leggers are working they are prepared to handle only 100 lambs an hour.” Other sections of slaughterman were also on piecework but no similar restrictions were imposed and it was the aim of each team to draw the highest wages by producing the largest possible output. The question of staffing the mutton ‘ring” had arisen last year and the employers had agreed to reduce the number of men employed, on the system from about 90 to 75 if restriction were lifted. This would enable the men to earn 38s 6d a day. The proposal was originally accepted, only to be rejected shortly after in favour of a claim that the staff on the “ring” should be reduced to 35. “Men who have been sufficiently game to expose the intimidation that is common at the works have won the admiration of scores of their colleagues,” it was explained. “No fair indication of the feeling, of the men on an important issue can be obtained without a secret ballot, but this was bitterly opposed by members of the executive during the present dispute.”

Ridicule and abuse were; hurdled upon a man who was prepared to vote against a strike or stop-work proposal It was doubted whether there were 5C men who were sufficiently courageous to express their own opinions when they were in opposition to a small extreme section of the union.

The case was quoted of an earlier dispute which arose in August over dressing-room accommodation at the works. On this occasion a motion tc cease work was proposed, together with an amendment that the 5000 head ol stock on hand should be killed and a meeting held later to determine the progress made in the dispute. A division was called and when about lOf men walked to one side of the room in favour of the amendment they were subjected to cat-calls, hooting and jeering.

“None pf the men want to lose time and wages, particularly at this perioc of the year,” it was added. ist views do not dominate the union at other works, and consequently they do not have the same stoppages as have occurred in Westfield.”