ARBITRATION COURT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 October 1941, Page 3

ARBITRATION COURT

DISPUTE BETWEEN UNIONS

A TEST CASE.

CONCERNING WAINGAWA EMPLOYEES.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day.

The Court of Arbitration began hearing yesterday a case which is to decide whether certain employees at the Waingawa freezing works should be members of the Waingawa Freezing Works Labourers’ Union or members of the Wellington and Marlborough Freezing Works and Related Trades Union. The workers concerned are ■most of the men employed about the ■works on work that is peculiar to freezing works, except slaughtermen. The case takes the form of a demand fiy an inspector of awards for penalties from the employers, Thomas Borthwick and Sons (Australasia), Ltd., for employing three men not members of the appropriate union, but Mr G. F. Grieve, who appeared for the Department of Labour, said that the case was a test case, and whether the ' penalties were imposed did not matter. Mr J. Macfarlane Laing, Masterton, who appeared for defendants, said his clients did not take sides between the two unions, being concerned only to employ unionists within the meaning of the New Zealand freezing workers’ award. Both the unions appeared to have been properly registered, and the company had regarded its duty as beginning and ending with making sure that the men were members of one union or the other. The company was on the best terms with both unions. Though the unions had been in existence some years, it was only this year that the company was informed by the department that there was any doubt about the eligibility of certain classes of workers to be members of the Waingawa Labourers’ Union. The company ■had always regarded its employees at Waingawa, apart from the slaughtermen, as freezing works labourers, and therefore properly members of the Waingawa Labourers’ Union. As the case had been brought ,to test a point between the two unions the company wished to retire into the background.

Evidence was being heard when the Court adjourned till today. Dr. O. C. Mazengarb is appearing for the Waingawa Freezing Works Labourers’ Union, and Mr R. Hardie Boys for the Wellington and Marlborough Freezing Works and Related Trades Union.