COMPLETE AGREEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 260, 2 November 1932, Page 5

COMPLETE AGREEMENT.

PRINTING TRADES AWARD. COMMISSIONER'S COMMENT. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. A complete agreement was reached in conciliation council to-day, when representatives of the New Zealand Master Printers and Newspaper Proprietors met the New Zealand Related Printing Trades Association. A new award for a term of one year is to be applied for in the Arbitration Court. ■ ,

"Recently I have presided over a good many conciliation cases, and I can say this has been one of the most pleasant," said the commissioner, Mr. W. Newton, replying to a vote of thanks at the close of the meeting. "Unfortunately, the times are difficult, but it is pleasant to sec representatives of such an important industry recognising this and making adjustments in such an amicable way." It was proposed by the employers that the centres of the Dominion should be classified in four divisions according to population, and that the wages paid to journeymen machinists, bookbinders, paper-rulers, embossers, transferers and multi-colour printers should be as follows: —Class 1, £4 4/ a week, or 2/ an hour; class 2, £4 3/ a week, or 1/11J an hour; class 3, £4 a week, or 1/10J an hour; class 4, £3 17/ a week, or 1/10 an hour. The workers' counter proposals provided for £5 10/ a week for journeymen, with 20 per cent extra for night workers.

After lengthy discussion in the morning the sitting was adjourned until the afternoon to enable the workers' assessors to consider an offer made by the employers' advocate, Mr. G. C. Codlin. When the meeting reassembled, Mr. Chapman, the workers' advocate, re-' jected the offer, but said the workers would meet the employers half-way. A further discussion resulted in both sides amending their .proposals.

It was agreed that classification should be on the basis of the present award. The wages agreed upon represent a reduction of approximately 4.6 per cent from journeymen's net rates in the main centres under the previous award. Journeymen in the principal centres will receive £4 8/ a week, against a previous net rate of £4 12/3. Rates for country centres will represent a reduction of approximately 7 per cent on the previous net rates.

It was agreed also that wages of female workers should be reduced by approximately 10 per cent, and that wages paid to general hands and assistant machinists at present in employment should be those prescribed in the previous award. Other clauses in the previous award, including those relating to hours and holidays, remain unchanged;