FREEZING WORKERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 283, 28 November 1921, Page 9

FREEZING WORKERS.

ARBITRATION AWARD. ■f BATES OF 1919 APOPTKD. ? REDUCTION OF BONUSES. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CH-BKTOHUBiOH, Sunday. The award of the Arbitration Court in the freezing workers' dispute has been riled. A memorandum attached to the award states: "The question of .wages lias received our careful attention. In Ihc main we have adopted the scale ot rates set out in the awards and agreements of MR tout have made minor chaii"» in order to remove anomalies. ••Bv tlic agreement between the narties in December, 10-20, a ibonus of 20 per cont was added to ■pieceworkers' ratos, and a bonus of 2"> .per cent to time fforkers , r&tea. These were in excess of tlic 'bomisee granted l>y tlie Court, and we were satisfied that, in view of the ttltWPCl conditions and the low prices riih'n« for mpnt on the London market, and the urgent necessity for the freezing companies to reduce their charges to farmers, the bonus additions required revision. "We have therefore followed the 10H' ■basic rates, ibut iliave reduced the bonusee to 12J and 13 per cent respectively. This places the workers in the freezing industry on the same footing in comiiarison with other workers as existed in 1012-1914. when the freezing workers secured certain advantages which they etill retain under this award, and tiheiT purchasing power is at least equal to what it was last season.

UNIFORM A-WAIUPS. "We have incorporated the provisions of the casing workers" awards and agreements in this award, so as to have one uniform set of awards for the whole industry. We have recast a number of clauses'of the 191!) awards and agreements, in connection with which t-lvvre were matters left In doubt. Our procedure lias been to take the 1919 awards and agreements as a guide, and to supplement their provisions where it has been necessary to do so, and to make amendments where it was eUowii anomalies existed, witih the object of ensuring that the afi-ard should -be oletir and definite in its terms, and should cover, us fw as is possible to foroeoe all matters that might otherwise become the subjects of difference 'between the parties. "Though separate awards have been jirepared for the different industrial districts, they are identical in their wording, and we have, indicated in eubdauses under appropriate sheadings any matters in respect of which a difference Of rates or conditions are prescribed for the different districts. This, we hope, will rontler the awards convenient far reference, and will save the employer ■having businesses in more than one district, or a worker removing from one dbtriet to another, from the trouble c-f having to compare the differing l»e&l awards, "It ia necessary that two members or tlio Court shall concur before a decision cmi ibe "iven. In the preparation of tlua aw«rd some of the clauses represented file decision of a majority, sometime* on one , aide; sometimes on the other, 'but the awaTd; as a whole, has been adopted Jiy all three members as a reasonable settlement of a very difficult and serious problem, and is accordingly concurred in by all M us."