ARBITRATION COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 250, 19 October 1908, Page 5

ARBITRATION COURT.

( The sittings of the Arbitration Court were resumed this morning before Mr. Justice Sim and Messrs. S. Brown and J A McC_loug_ WATERSIDE WORKERS' DEPUTE, j I In this case, Mr. R. F. Way, represent- ! ing the Auckland Industrial Union of Waterside Workers, said that the union had had a conference with the Union Steamship Company. There were certain non-contentious clauses, but the whole I thing revolved, around the__ four spec.il I clauses. The company took up the attitude that if they could not agree upon the whole lot, nothing else could be | I agreed upon. Mr. W. H. Smith, representing the j Union Company, asked for the case to be ' heard at Kaipara. If the Court visited Kaipara they would see how dissimilar , the conditions were. The union prac- I I ticaily asked for the Kaipara to be in- ! eluded en bloc. His Honor: Was not Tauranga inI eluded? ! Mr. Way Yes. If the Court is prepared to take the Wairoa I would withdraw Tauranga. There are only a few i unionists there, whilst the Wairoa contains something like 60 or 70. Hia Honor directed the parties to hold a conference and report on Friday next. ELECTRICAL WORKERS. Mr. R. F. Way, for the union, said that j in this dispute a conference had been held between the parties, and an agreement arrived at. j_.OIN_ DRIVERS. In this dispute Mr. R. F. Way, for the union, asked the Court to direct the parties to hold a conference. Some time ago his union communicated with the Kaipara S.S. Co., and got a reply that it was useless having a conference, as they could not come to any agreement. i Mr. W. H. Smith appeared for the em- ! plovers, and asked the Court to take that portion of the dispute which related to Kaipara in Kaipara, as the greater number of employers cited resided in Kaipara. The Auckland portion only affected the Ferry Company. Bradney and Binns, J. J. Craig, and the Auckland Harbour Board. The Court ordered the parties to hold a conference, and report the result on Friday. LLTT'KRPRESS MACHINISTS. Mr. Rosier appeared for the union in ! this dispute, and Mr. Grosvenor appeared I for the employers. Mr. Grosvenor said a conference had ( 'been held, and the masters unreservedly i offered, the Otago award, which was given I in August of -this year. j Mr. Rosser said that the Dunedin j award exactly the same as the one I they were now working under. It was Uo advance at all. It was the first award i for Otago. and w_s just equal to the first award in Auckland. A conference had I been held, at which he was debarred from speaking. A man was appointed the mouthpiece, and that man had since been | discharged. Thi; union intended to take further proceedings in this Court for I victimisation. | His Honor: The Court orders the parties to hold a conference with a view i to settling the matter. Mr. Rosser: I would like to understand if the union has the right of electing their own delegates? His Honor: Oh, yes," of course they have the right to do this. AUCKLAND CABMEN. Mr. Rosser appeared for the onion in the Auckland Cabmen's dispute. a.nd said tha"t a conference had been appointed for October S, but, as in other cases, the employers allocated to themselves the right of appointing delegates who were bona fide workers of the union, and not officials. Mr. Grosvenor said that the position was that the masters themselves were quite desirous and willing to meet th* bone fide workers in their trade, excluding Mr. Rosser and himself (Mr. Groavenor). The union opposed that, and insisted that Mr. Rosser should be present. The masters did. not want either Mr. Rosier or himself, and a conference aid not been held. Mr. Rosser: The employers find they can get on without Mr. Grosvenor; my people find they cannot get on without mc. 1 have never been excluded from any conference up till now. His Honor directed the parties to hold a conference Mr. Grosvenor protested that some of the union members owned their own cabs, and were not bona fide workers. Mr. Rosser said that three members of the *A"orkers* Union owned their own caibs. and employed no labour. His Honor: They have no business to be members of the Workers' Union. They are competing with employers who employ labour. Mr. Rosser: I shall be pleased to mj elude them amongst the employers. His Honor said that "the conference ought to be held between bona fide employers of labour on the one hand and I bona fide workers on the other hand. Mr. Grosvenor: There is not the slightI est possibility of arriving at an agree- | ment. The Court then ordered a conference to be held. | Mr. Rosser remarked that the old ! award was utterly unworkable, to which : his Honor observed that it was an agreement made by the parties themselves. ; The Court had nothing to do with it. CONFERENCES ORDERED. The Court directed further conferences to be held in the following disputes: Auckland Beamsmen, Brick Pottery and Clay Workers, Fish Carers, Rattan and Wicker Workers. DISPUTES DEFERRED. The following disputes were deferred to the next sitting of the Court: Auckland Carters. Ship Masters, Ship, Yae'i*.. and Boat Builders. AUCKLAND PAINTERS. One hundred and forty-two employers are cited as parties to chu Auckland painters' dispute. Mr. R. F. Way with Messrs. H. J. Horning and H. L. Buckler appeared for the union, and Mr. C. Grosvenor appeared for the employers. The only contentious measures in this dispute are those relating to paymeafc for overtime, pay day, apprentices' wages. suburban work, country work, and pre- ' ference. j The men ask for overtime at the rate of time and a-quarter from the ordinary i hour of ceasing work to S p.m.; time and a-half from then to midnight, and double j time from midnight to the hour for commencing work; time and a-half for work begun between 6 and 8 a.m., and double rates for work on Sundays and holidays. The employers offer time and a-quarter from 5 to 10 p.m.; time and a-half from 10 p_l. to midnight; double time from midnight to 6 a.m.; time and a-quarter from 6 to 8 a.m., and double pay for Saturday afternoon, Sundays, and holidays. The men ask for all wages to be paid up in full up to the time of ceasing work, whilst the masters ask that all wages earned up to Thursday night shall be

paid on the job before 12 noon on Saturday, any journeyman discharged to be paid his fall wages iimaediately upon his discharge. The employers ask that the wages of apprentices shall be 6/6 per week for the first year, 10/- the second, 15/- the third, £1 the fourth, and £1 a/- the fifth; whilst the union claims 8/-, 12/-, 17/6, 25/-, and 30/- per week respectively. ] For country work the union ask for 2/- j per day extra, including Sundays, in ad- 1 dition to overtime and ordinary pay. 1 The employers' counter proposals sug- i gest 1/6 a day while so employed, and 1 travelling expenses in going to and returning from work, travelling time to ■ be paid for at ordinary rates, but not i to a greater amount than eight hours in 1 a day. i Another contentious measure is the '. union's demand that work performed over a mile radius from the corner of ; Pitt-street and Karangahape-road shall I be considered suburban work, and men I employed thereon shall be allowed and paid for the time reasonably occupied by them in walking to and from such < work, or shall be conveyed at the cost of the employer. The Union demand a minimum wage of 1/4-i an hour, and the employers offer ' 1/3. In support af the case for the Union. ' evidence was given to the effect that ! painting was worth 1/-U an hour, speci- I ally in view of the fact that fully 240 painters did not get more than nine months' work every year. The allowance for country work was insufficient to cover e-xponse?", and such work also necessitated much discomfort. A clear understanding was wanted as regards suburban work. The rates of pay for apprentices were too small. Several master painters were called by Mr Orosvenor, and maintained that the country proposals of the Masters' Association were very fair and reasonable. Applications for exemptions from the i award were made by the Tramway Co.. Oa-s Co., Messrs- BaOpy and Lowe (shipbuilders). Logan Bros, (shipbuilders), W. Phillips and Son (sawmillers). and ai number of sign writers. '