TWO STRIKES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 February 1941, Page 3

TWO STRIKES

AT FREEZING WORKS. TROUBLE QUICKLY SETTLED. ißy Telegraph—Press Association.! CHRISTCHURCH. February 27. Strikes today in two freezing works at Belfast and Kaiapoi, were quickly settled. In both the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company's Works at Belfast and the North Canterbury Sheep-farm-ers’ Co-operative Works at Kaiapoi. butchers stopped work in the morning. A settlement was reached at Belfast early in the afternoon and. following a conference, it was decided that work should be resumed at Kaiapoi tomorrow morning. The number of employees affected at Belfast was 250 and at Kaiapoi 150. No comment on the strikes was made by the Minister of Labour. Mr. Webb, when he was telephoned tonight. The Minister, who was in Wellington, said ho was unable to discuss the hold-up of killing operations because he had no information of the facts in the disputes. As soon as he was informed that there had been a hold-up at Kaiapoi. he had instructed Mr. R. T. Bailey, officer in charge of the Labour Department in Christchurch, to take action.

The butchers at Kaiapoi at 8 a.m. refused to man the chains, the ground being the dismissal of one man. It was later established to the complete satisfaction of both the company and the men's representatives that the man's dismissal had been caued by a misunderstanding. The award provides that no man shall leave without the consent of the foreman. The employee over whom the dispute arose was taken ill with influenza and left his job. but. through omission by the delegate, lite foreman was not advised. Notice of dismissal was given by the company and the other employees decided to strike. /X settlement was reached at a conference in the afternoon, the company agreeing to reinstate the worker and the men giving an undertaking to resume work tomorrow.

Except for subsidiary departments, work was also at a standstill at the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company's works at Belfast from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The men refused to work because of a disagreement with the company on the question of replacement of men injured while working on the chain and placed on compensation. In this dispute the men contended that employment of inefficient men acted as a "dead weight" on the chain and the company’s view was that, consequent on calls for military service, fully qualified men could not be secured for replacements. Discussions between the company and the union were continued through the lunch hour and by 2 p.m. agreement was reached and killing operations were resumed.