DAIRY FACTORY DISPUTE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 November 1940, Page 7

DAIRY FACTORY DISPUTE

TROUBLE AT FEATHERSTON. REPLY BY MANAGER. (By Telegraph—Press Association. I WELLINGTON, This Day. Representatives of the workers in a Featherston dairy company, Messrs F. B. Shearsby, I. Jensen and W. Stewart, issued a statement last week claiming that all the relevant issues in the dispute between the employees of the company and the management, had not been made clear, thereby causing a misunderstanding of the employees’ action in striking. The manager of the Featherston Dairy Company, Ltd., Mr A. J. Hawke, writes as follows: — "Replying to the Featherston factory employees’ version of the recent oneday strike at the factory. It appears that some of the men who refused to work on a previous Sunday felt so glorified by the humble appeal of the Honourable the Minister of Marketing to carry on with the job that they assumed that any statement they made to the Press would be very important. The following facts will not add to the merits of their case.

"They claim that they were barred by me from commencing work; but I wish to point out that their notice oi their intention to strike at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning was handed to me at 4.55 p.m. on Saturday. The notice to strike was considered by my directors the same evening. It was arranged that the directors, together with officers of the Dairy Division, the inspector of the Labour Department and Mr B. Roberts, M.P., meet the men at 7 a.m. on Sunday. “When some of the staff reported for duty. I advised them of the arranged . meeting and advised them not to start work till after the meeting. "The Hon W. Nash asked me to get Mr B. Roberts to appeal to the men to go on with their work, and if his appeal was unsuccessful he himself would come to the factory, which he diet later in the day. “Mr Roberts’s appeal was in vain, and had they listened to his suggestion the work would have been done in the usual way for that day. “The notice to cease work at 10 a.m. would have occurred at the most vital stage of the process of cheese manufacture. The interruption at that stage would have involved the company in a serious loss of approximately £5OO. Therefore, it was necessary that I should have the assurance of the men tnat the work would go on in the usual manner, before commencing to take in milk for cheese making. "Dealing with the point that I had misled them in the matter of the rate of wages, I say emphatically that I did not mislead them on this point. Though they claim that there was no lack of unity with the Government or the union, their attitude to Mr Roberts was definitely hostile. They even counted out the secretary of their union and asked him to leave the room.

"Other complaints made were not justified. I challenge any member of the factory staff to prove that he is not working under more favourable conditions than those set out in the terms of the award.

"An appeal has been made by the Government for increased cheese production, and a visit to the factory would convince anyone that the suppliers are responding to the best of their power. It only needs an efficient and loyal staff to produce one of the largest outputs of cheese likely to be made in any one factory in the district.

"I am using my best efforts to carry on with the production and to see that the work is efficiently performed by a contented and willing staff.”