CONCILIATION COUNCIL

Press, Volume L, Issue 14916, 14 March 1914, Page 6

CONCILIATION COUNCIL

FARRIERS' DISPUTE.

AGREEMENT ARRIVED AT

Tho industrial disptite between the Farriers' Union and the employers was before the Council of Conciliation yesterday. Mr J. R. Triggs, the Conciliation Commissioner, presiding.

Tho employers' assessors were Messrs Duncan McArthur, Chas. V. Harvey, and Ernest A. Archer. Tho Union's assessors were Messrs F. W. Renfold, B. Turner, and A. Cockbum

The Union asked for a 462 hours' week. Wages: Competent farriers, £3 Gs por week; competent floormen, £3; overtime to be paid at ther*rato of time and a quarter for tho first two hours, and time and a half after; certain holidays wore asked for; apprentices' wages, first year 10s, second 20s, third 30s, fourth 40a, and filth SOs; proportion of apprentices, ono for each shop, and an additional apprentice to every two tradesmen after the first two: j piecework restricted to 'shoe-turning, 2in to Jin 2s (id, lin plain os, lin heels 3s Cd per dozen; iron to be cut in masters'- time; preference was asked for. under-rate workers, minimum wage to bo fixed by esecutivo of Union; tho award to tako efi*oct within a radius of ten miles of tho Christchurch pout office. . , . Tho employers, in their list of obje& tions, asked that the wages of competent farriers should ba ls 3d per hour, and competent floormen Is Id; that the overtime clause should have tho iollowing addition mado to it: "buca ovcb> time rates not to tako effect nntil any work ia shops commenced previous to specified closing timo bo complotod. Such work to be paid for at ordinary rates." The rates for shoe-turm.i-were proposed as follows: Ss (id pe-' dozon for all plain shoes, and 3s pfc. dozen for draught shoes wiU fc««; all iron to bo cut in turners own tuiui. The employers proposed to substitute an undor-rate workers' clause, providing for the rate to be paid being fixed cy a committee, consisting ot two employers and two members of the Union. They wished the award to tako elleo. within a radius of 25 miles of tee Christchurch pest office. It was agreed, after discussion, to amend the overtime clause by providing that overtime is not to commence until the horse a man is shoeing at the closing timo agreed upon is completed. When tho wage.s clause was reached the Commissioner pointed out the danger to the employers ot fixing a weekly wage. . , . The union representatives said that they were prepared to accept an hourly rate. „ . -, One of the employer's assessors said that, owing to tho growing use of motor vehicles, the farriers' trade was not what it used to be. . . One of the union's assessors said that the award would affect 20 men in and about Christchurch. and nine of these at present got the wages asked for, and two Avero paid in excess of the rates asked for. The Commissioner suggested that, the rates should be:—Farriers, ls 4£d por hour, foreman ls 2d per hour. The employers' representatives contended that the minimum they proposed lfi 3d and ls Id, was high enough, in view of tho state of the trade. After the Commissioner had. conferred privately torith the representatives of both parties separately he announced that the employers wore prepared to concede ls 4Jd nor hour for farriers, and Is 3d per hour for floormen if the union wero prepared to make the hours of work 48 per week. This was agreed upon, and tho work, it was provided, should be dono between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on five days of the week, and between 7 a.m. and noon on Saturdays. The union's representatives accepted the employers' proposals in respect to piece-work rates. ! Tho Court's under-rate workers' clause was agreed upon, and it was agreed that the award should apply to employers whose places of business ari within a radius of forty miles.