LITTLE PROGRESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 285, 1 December 1936, Page 9

LITTLE PROGRESS.

QUARRY WORKERS' DISPUTE

CONCILIATION COUNCIL HEARING.

The conciliation council hearing of another section of the award claims of the Auckland General Labourers' Union before the commissioner, Mr. R. E. Price, came to an early end this morning, after minor points only had been settled. The dispute, which concerned quarry and scoria pit workers, occupied less than an hour of discussion, and the

major questions of hours, wages, overtime and holidays were referred to the Arbitration Court.

"We have already had two days' conciliation hearing in October," said Mr. T. Stanley, secretary of the union, during the discussion, "and with the idea that by separating our demands into different sections we could make some progress, we did so, but we ai# making no progress. We are just wasting time here; it seems that we might as well have sat back before and let the Court settle the whole thing."

The union asked for a 40-hour, fiveday week, but the employers, while agreeing to a limit of 40 hours, desired that work should be allowed on Saturday morning, so that time lost during the week for causes such as wet weather might be made up. Mr. Stanley: We cannot agree to that. Mr. W. E. Anderson, employers' agent, said that it would be a hardship for the men if they could not work the full 40 hours. A suggestion came from the workers' assessors to the effect that if the union was prepared to agree to Saturday work the other side might consider a further reduction of the weekly hours to, say, 30, but the whole question was left unsettled. After brief discussion the claims concerning wages, holidays and overtime were also referre.d to the Court. Claims for coal yard and other workers were heard yesterday, while tomorrow the section of the dispute involving builders' and contractors' labourers will be considered.