NEGOTIATIONS FAIL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 139, 25 March 1935, Page 6

NEGOTIATIONS FAIL

POINTING TRADE DISPUTE. UNION REJECTS AMENDED OFFER EMPLOYERS ISSUE STATEMENT. ; /Per Press Association). ' WELLINGTON, March 24. Negotiations v f 6r the settlement of the dispute in the typographical and related printing trades, affecting all newspapers and commercial printing businesses in the Dominion, and for the termination of the printers' strike in Wellington, ended on Saturday evening, when the executive of the Printing Trades Federation of Workers rejected the final offer made by the Newspaper Proprietors' Association and the Master Printers' Federation. In view of the gravity of .the issues involved and of the widespread effects threatened by continuation of the dispute, the following statement of the course of negotiations is made by the employers for the information of the public: At the outset it should be observed that the true character of the dispute has been disclosed during the past week. Negotiations regarding claims in respect of wages and working conditions were conducted in an apparently amicable spirit until the strike in Wellington was precipitated without notice. Even as recently as Saturday afternoon, when members of the Federation Executive again met the employers' representatives, they not only, asked for some further concession, but also uttered warnings that were tantamount to threats that unless proposals acceptable to them were made, the ptrike would be extended to other centres, with a strong probability that it would be supported by strikes in other industries. After careful deliberation the employers made a proposal that should have been acceptable had there been a genuine desire among the workers' representatives for conciliatory settlement, but this was summarily rejeted. Thus the leaders of th» Federation have brought into full effect the policy enunciated by them when the original claims were formulated. They then expressed contempt of conciliation and arbitration, and proclaimed their determination to enforce their demands by direct action.

A Federation of unions. Except for a relatively small num T ber of workers in. special branches of the industry, employees in the printing industry are organised in two belies, generally known as the Typographical and Related Printing Trades Unions, most of which are affiliated to the New Zealand Printing Trades Federation of Workers. A year ago this organisation increased its activities, and succeeded in gaining the adherence of unions that had previously maintained their independence. These unions were committed to the support of the Federation's policy by postal ballots of their members, but decisive votes were given by only a minority who had been easily persuaded that extravagant proposals could be achieved by a powerful organisation. The Negotiations. The Federation presented its demands to the. employers last September, with a request for a conference. This was held early in October, and in December the Federation renewed its demands-by iiliug a dispute in the Arbitration Court. A Conciliation Council was appointed and sat for two days at.the end of January. As it did not reach. agreement the proceedings were adjourned for a month, when the assessors again sat for two days. The workers' assessors had throughout these proceedings insisted that they had no authority to conclude an agreement without referring the proposals to the unions. Consequently proposals for Jhe, amendment of current awards which'resulted from this conference were sent to the unions, not as recommendations by the Conciliation Council, but as terms offered by the employers. This offer comprised an increase of wages by the restoration of the cut (approximately 5 per cent.) made in January, 1933, and some concessions in working conditions of value to the men concerned. A statement of the proposals in detail was issued to members of the various unions with ballot papers, which were returnable on Tuesday, March 12. The workers' federation states that there are 2000 workers in the industry, but' the federation's announcement of the result of the ballot accounts for fewer than 1500 votes, of which 762 were recorded as adverse, and 703 in favour of acceptance. Meetings of unions were held in many centres last Monday morning, and in all but Wellington' the men returned to work. The Wellington meeting, without warning of any) kind, developed into a strike. Thd Strike in Wellington. There have been many rumours that this action was provoked .by some external cause, but the actual fact is that the Wellington union, whose president and secretary hold corresponding offices in the federation, precipitated the strike without consultation of the members of the federation executive, and without giving the employers any opportunity to consider that fact that the ballot had been adverse. The first intimation to the employers of the result of the ballot was made in a letter, in, which they were also informed that the Wellington Union would not return to work unless the demands by the , federation were conceded in full. There would have been no difficulty in arranging another conference between Tuesday and Monday to permit employers to review their offer. The only possible conclusion is that the federation, or its acknowledged leaders, did not want a peaceful settlement, but were determined to precipitate a conflict, and subsequent events have confirmed that impression. Overtures were made to the employers on Thursday morning, when four delegates had a conference with a representative committee, and this was continued in the afternoon, when the federation delegation was larger. The proposition made by it was in effect that

if the employers could not make any further general concession they should grant a large increase to the Wellington union. The only, obvious implication was that the employers should purchase peace in Wellington and risk being attacked by the same methods to secure similar concessions elsewhere. The proposal was not accepted. Employers' Final Offer. All members of the federation executive in other centres, who had apparently been ignored up to this stage, were summoned to Wellington and a meeting of that body was held on Saturday. In the. afternoon the executive met the employers, and, as already stated, demanded some further concession, with threats of* a general strike. The employers were extremely reluctant to make any compromise in such a situation, but after very careful deliberation, decided to make a final offer in the hope of securing a peaceful settlement. They met the federation executive in the evening, and thenspokesman, after emphasising the gravity of the situation and the responsibility resting on both parties, announced an extension of the employers' previous offer. This proposed an agreement for two years instead of one, the increase in wages of approximately 5 per cent, already offered to apply* to the first year, and wages to be increased at the beginning of the second year by 'approximately another 5. per cent. These terms were to come into operation forthwith, provided the men returned to work i%. Wellington immediately. The conference adjourned for half an hour, and on its resumption the federation executive announced that it refused the offer.

Union's Demands. The principal demands of the workers' federation were : (1) For restoration of wages to the 'rates prevailing before the court's general order came into operation. ° (2) A working week of 40 hours. (3) A fortnight's holiday on full pay. Under existing awards one week's holiday and nine |Btatutojry holidays are provided for in one section, and one week's holiday plus four statutory holidays in the other. , The hours are from 42 to 44, according to the nature of the work, and the weekly wages of compositors in. towns of more than 6000 population range from £4 8s 6d to £5 4s. If the demands were conceded these rates would be £5 2s 6d and £6 5s respectively. The employers' offers ranged from £4 12s 3d to £5 9s, and a renewal of the old award with minor modifications, incidentally the strike involves machine compositors, whose earnings on piecework range from about £7 to £l2 a week. Position of the' Industry.

In their general submissions the assessors for the employers contended that the condition of the printing industry, which had been hit very severely by the depression, did not permit of their entertaining the union's demands. If conceded, they would have given the employees a material advantage over the peak wages of 1930, because there had been a substantial fall in the cost of living. They pointed out that a great many newspapers and printing establishments were making no profits at all, and in other instances where moderate profits were being earned, these would be wiped out if wage casts were increased to the extent involved in the federation's demands. The federation's representatives admitted in part the contention of the employers, but submitted that the remedy was ill their own hands, and if the prices of advertisements and printing products were increased to the public the industry could readily concede all the federation was asking for. The employers argued that the capacity of the public to pay was a determining factor in prices, and that competition in the printing trade was so keen that it would be very difficult to pass on any increased costs to the public.

Object of Employers. The employers' offer, although not justified by the state of the trade, was put forward as evidence of a genuine desire to bring about a settlement of the dispute, and to maintain existing Dominion awards, which provided for a uniform scale of wages and working conditions throughout the Dominion. In their final offer of a two years' agreement the employers were taking the risk of an economic reaction, which might leave them in a more difficult position than ever, but it was done in the earnest hope "that it would be accepted, and would bring about a settlement of the dispute. Unfortunately the federation's representatives could not see their way to close on the offer and restore peace in the industry. Legal Position of Strikers, The legal jiosition of the workers affected by the dispute has been explained in a statement issued by the Minister for Labour. They are at present bound by awards, which are still in force, although the periods have passed. Consequently, any strike in which they may take part is an unlawful strike, and any worker in the industry who takes * part in a strike is liable to a fine of £lO, while the union is liable to a penalty of £2OO. When a strike takes place and a majority of the members of aunion are at any time parties to a strike, the union is deemed to have instigated the strike and is liable to the penalty named.