PREFERENCE NULLIFIED

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 12, 14 January 1919, Page 5

PREFERENCE NULLIFIED

BY iraiOif RUXiES. EXCLUSION" UF APPKENTICKS. A judgment of smnc interest to trader unions wa* d"livered by Mr. I H. I'oyuton. 5..M.. at the Magmtnite'r. Court today upon a ca*e i nwhich Hugh (ires ham. inspector of Factories, sued 11. I. OVoniH-11. builder (Mr. K. Mi-Vragb) for an alleged breach of the Factories Act I namely, failure to notify the secretary lof the Plasterers' I'nion of the engage incut of a non-unionist. Failure t< I notify was admitted, but it was urged that the union had not observed tin preference cl.iu.se in the award, and c I could not now invoke it. His Worshi] J staled that in i<ll awards preference t> ] unionists was conditional on the unior allowing all workers in the trade tin right to join the union on reasouabli terms. The prefenec clause in the Plus triers' award applied to "any worke: ~,.™,,,r , ulth!,, tV,o M,-.,r%r. r,f tills llWlirrt '

coming within the scope ot iliis uwara, and two classes of labour were rv-coj-nised journeymen and apprentices. The nilo of the union relating to membership, however, expressly stated that the union should be composed of journeymen j plasterers only C ounsel ha/l contended \ that the exclusion of apprentices by this rule was contrary to the award conditions, which clearly referred to "any I worker " i "There is nothing to prevent an apprentice berominc a member of a trade union." hi- Worship pr.xeeded. "and there are many reasons why they should be encourntred to ioin and take part in the proceedings of the union. The inspector point* out thai apprentices can--1 not be compelled to join, but they Rhulil I not Ix , excluded by the rules of the \mion as in Ihis rase. I think that appren tices should not be kept out of the union, and whi l ** they are it cannot maintain it- richt to preference. .Indf;ment will be tor the defendant without cost.; "