WAGES DISPUTE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 134, 19 March 1935, Page 3

WAGES DISPUTE

PRINTING TRADES TROUBLE. WELLINGTON MEN LEAVE WORK. (Per Pres» Association.) WELLINGTON, March 18. Without warning this morning, practically the whole of the employees in the printing trade industry engaged in the four chief centres of the Dominion failed to put in an appearance at their usual places of employment. The reason was stated to be the holding of stop-work meetings in connection with the claims put forward for higher wages, shorter hours of work and longer annual holidays. The result was that many printing establishments were idle and newspaper publications interfered with. In Christchurch, Auckland and Dunedin, the meetings appear to have ended within two hours and the men then returned to work. In Wellington the men did not return.

During the afternoon the following letter was forwarded to the secretaries of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association and the Master Printers’ Federation: “In connection with the proposed agreement for the printing trades, the terms offered by the employers have been submitted to all members of the New Zealand Printing Trades Federation. The result of the ballot was : Against acceptance 762, for acceptance 703; informal 17.” The Men’s Terms. A statement was made by Mr C. H. Chapman, tyl.P. (president of the Printing Trades Federation) that a prolonged stop-work meeting of the Wellington Union, attended by 400 members, was held this morning. Mr Chapman said that the terms offered were particularly unacceptable to Wellington city employees, and the meeting decided that members employed by firms agreeable to tentatively conceding a 15 per cent, restoration of wages, a 40-hour week, and a fortnight’s holiday annually should immediately return to work when a written agreement on these lines was reached. Increased Costs. Mr L. J. Berry (secretary of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association) said that various unions recently filed claims under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act for a new award. These claims included demands for a 15 per cent, increase in wages, a reduction in the working week from 44 hours to 40, and two weeks’ annual holiday instead' of one week. There were a number of other demands involving increased costs, but the above were those of outstanding importance. Conciliation proceedings extended over four days. The employers’ representatives claimed that neither the position of the country nor of the printing and newspaper industries warranted such exorbitant demands, but following on the precedent set by the Government and as a gesture of goodwill an offer of a 5 per cent, increase, together with several minor concessions was made. This applied to all towns and centres of oyer 3000 in population. It would seem that this offer had been rejected by a narrow majority. The claims of the workers’ union involved in these items alone increased costs to the printing industry of approximately 30 per cent., or 15 per cent, higher than the wages costs at the peak of the country’s prosperity. In Dunedin, a section of the printing trades’ workers accepted the 5 pei cent, increase in wages and an agreement has been reached. The Printers’ Union met this afternoon. No approach was received from the employers, and the meeting was adjourned until to-morrow morning.

SMALLER PAPER PUBLISHED. SIX-PAGE PRODUCTION. WELLINGTON, March 18. The ‘‘Evening Post” this afternoon consisted of six pages, containing advertisements, pictures and news. Cable and racing messages appeared on t e leader page. Under the heading * o Explanation,” the following appeared as the day’s editorial. “To-day’s issue of the Evening Post’ is smaller than usual, and differs in contents, owing to a stop-work meeting of the mechanical staffs of printing establishments having been called throughout New Zealand for eight o’clock this morning to consider recent proceedings before the Conciliation Council. In Wellington, the staffs had not resumed work up to a late hour this afternoon. As a consequence it has been impossible to set up in type and print all the latest news, advertisements and features. To keep faith with our readers, however we have endeavoured, under exceptional and unexpected conditions, to issue a paper containing material set before the stoppage, together with some of the more important news, in brief form.” A novel method of overcoming tlie difficulty of typesetting has been adopted by the “Dominion.” The main news pages, instead of being set in type, are being typewritten and the typescript photographed in the same way as the ordinary illustration pages are produced. An adequate summary of local occurrences, telegraph and cable news will be presented. " Early in the evening members of the striking union picketed the “Dominion” building, but apart from questioning people entering the picket have not interfered.

WORK CONTINUES AT AUCKLAND AUCKLAND, March 18. Over 300 members of the Auckland Typographical and Related Printing Trades Unions attended a meeting in the Trades Hall this morning. The result of the postal ballot upon the employers’ proposals was announced. Several resolutions were passed confirming the rejection of the employers’ proposals, recording disapproval of any reference of the dispute to arbitration, and recommending that a further con-

ference with the employers should be sought. The meeting lasted about two hours after which the men went to their various places of employment and work continued as usual throughout the ray and at the “Herald” office at night.