FURNITURE TRADES DISPUTE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 99, 27 April 1903, Page 2

FURNITURE TRADES DISPUTE.

EFFECTS OF THE DECISION.

The decision of the Arbitration Court in the matter of the informations laid as the outcome of the dispute in the furniture trade naturally was the subject of considerable comment in town to-day, it being recognised that the point settled was of considerable importance to both employers and employees. Asked as to what would be the position of the Union in the matter, Mr S. Tyson, the secretary, said to a "Star" representative this morning:—"We are just in the position we were previous to the laying of the informations. The men are still out of employment, and the Union does not feel justified in granting them permits to rank as incompetent workmen in order to enable them to get employment. We hold that men who were competent under the old award are competent under this one also. The employers must either pay the minimum wage fixed and let the men get back to work, or failing that we must endeavour to get them employment at full wage elsewhere, as we have already done for about twenty of them. In the meantime we cannot let these men sufFer in the interests of the whole trade, so we will have to collect funds to assist in supporting them until they get work elsewhere We cannot let these men suffer because they are in the forefront fighting the battle of the rest of the men," Speaking as to future action in the matter, Mr. Tyson said: "We shall now lay the details of the whole case before all the other unions in the colony, and see if it is not of sufficient importance to warrant legislation being brought to bear to prevent anything of the kind occurring in the future. The position is a serious one, because the award sets out what the r.rr.iinum wage shall be, and provides for permits for incompetent workmen not able to earn the rate fixed for competent men, but this decision practically means that the deciding of competence or incompetence does not lie either with the men or the union. I take it therefore that it does not matter two straws what award the Court gives in reference to wages, the employer can turn round and say, H l will only pay the 1/1, though 1/3 is the minimum wage, because I do not consider I have a competent man in my factory." "As long as the incompeteney clause," said Mr. Tyson, "appears in an award in its present form, it eeems to me that award can be rendered null and void. That is the reason, we think, it is time there was an amendment in the Act, for at the present time it appears most decidedly onesided."