THE BOOT TRADE.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9339, 13 February 1896, Page 5

THE BOOT TRADE.

The following letter has been handed to us for publication :— •• Dunedin, 10th February, 1896. "Mr H. Milligan, •'Secretary N.Z. Federated Boot Trade "Council, Christchurch.

" Dear Sir, —I am instructed by my Aasociation to give you twenty-one days notice (in accord&nce with the feub-Com-mittee'a report at Conference of any alteration of the statement signed by Mr Recce) that on and after the second day of March, 1596, all the members of the New Zealand Booc Manufacturer' Association will commence to work under our new Rules and Conditions of Labour as submitted to the first meeting of Conference, copy of which is herewith forwarded; buc that as a concession to 3'our Federation my Association will pay the wages and extras for benching and finishing aa contained in statement signed by Mr Recce, together with all subsequent decisions of General Boards dealing with prices in these departments ; this concession to be made without prejudice to our rights to put in an alternative aud revised statement of wages, rules and conditions should your Federation decide to refer any question involved to arbitration.—» Yours faithfully, Alfkkd H. Bridges, Secretary ior the New Zealand Boot Manufacturers' Association."

With reference to this letter, Mr Milligan says:—" We wish to further state that the Federated Boob Trade Union are not likely to accept the statement which was forwarded with this letter, seeing that re* preseutatives of both sides have failed to agree on two occasions to the rules and conditions as embodied in the statement.. The Federated {Union take strong exception to clauses 10 and 11, which specify that the employer has sole right whom he shall employ or dismiss, and that employers and employees, either individually or through any organisation, shall not discriminate for or against any person because he is or is not a member of auy organisation. Clause 1, classifies, tion of departments, is in a similar position. It reads—'Special department as per rale 12. There shall be no restriction in the employment or wages of hands engaged by the week, when the wages are satisfactory to employer and employed, subject to the recoguised minimum in special branches, and any person shall be at liberty to arrange with his employer to work on the weekly wage system. , "

' (PBBSS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) DUNEDIS. February 12. A special meeting of the Bootmaker*' Union was held to-day to consider a telegram from the Federal Council stating that the employers had given tweoty-one days' notice of the withdrawal of the present statement. It was decided to approve of the action of the Council in sobmitting the statement drawn np Ly the delegate* immediately after the breaking np of the last Conference. It was also resolved to instruct the Federal Council to apply to the Government for an Order-in-Council asking that a Special Conciliation Board should be set up immediately to deal with the dispute.