FREEZING AWARD

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20730, 14 February 1939, Page 9

FREEZING AWARD

CONDITIONS ALTERED j HOURS AND WAGES UNCHANGED ' term to be decided <By Telegram.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Monday Application is to bo made on Febru®ry 21 for a new Dominion freezing workers’ award, in which a complete settlement was reached in conciliation proceedings in Wellington recently, to be issued by the Court of Arbitration, ’ after submissions have been made concerning the term of the award. The union is asking for the expiry date to be fixed at December 31. 1939 and the : employers at June 30, 1940. The award relates to the second largest industry engaged in factory production in the Dominion, the 193738 statistic* of which were:—Value of output, £21.227,641; salaries and wages. £2.188,102: workers, 7835. The conciliation proceedings occupied four days, most of the time heiing taken up with private conferences in an effort to reach a settlement. The agreement reached was on the basis of the old award, the hours of work and wages remaining the same, with the exception that adjustments i have been made in certain conditions of work. These provide for nn increase in slaughtering rates of pay for ram lambs ami for workers opening blown tins. There is also a special provision for female workers starting at the . ages of 18. 19 and 2i. Chain Slaughtering The following Is the special clause covering chain slaughtering, and is subject to discussions at present tak- / ing place in Auckland to clear up the Westfield position:— “Regarding a ‘ring’: fa) Wherever j used in this section or any other part i of this award, the term ‘chain’ shall j mean and include every system where- j by the killing and dressinig of sheep and lambs is carried out in a series of successive operations executed by a number of slaughtermen, each of | whom is engaged on one of the opera- j tions of the series, whatever may be , thf form of system or whatever variations may be introduced into it. (b) ■ Workers shall be interchangeable on a ! chain where required by an employer, (e) Save where agreed upon by the j district union and employers at any | works, not more than 35 men shall be j employed on any mutton and lamb chain, and not more than 23 on any pig chain, (d) Workers’ delegates shall be entitled to make representations to . the foreman with reference to the speed of a chain.