IRONWORKERS' UNION.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20415, 9 December 1931, Page 3

IRONWORKERS' UNION.

APPLICATION FOR NEW AWARD. [XHfi pness Siiaci&i ft«rtict.] WELLINGTON, .December 8. A shorter working week with the dbjecfc of spreading the work among more men, thus assisting toward the Solution of the unemployed problem was sought by the ironworkers of New Zealand, who discussed tllei? cas& With the Ironmasters' Federation before the Conciliation Commissioner, Mr i J . Hally, to-day. The present working week is of 44 hours, and the Unions concerned in applying for a new award contended that a reduction to a week of 35 Working hours would help considerably toward relieving the acute distress in the engineering trades generally. A higher scale of wages Was submitted. The employers did not agree with the ptopoued reduced Working week. On the contrary, the counter-proposals of ironmasters Were that the Workrrfg hours bhoultl be 84 a day and four on HrttiVdajri, and, furiher, that employers shsuld not be compelled to pay overtime unless the number of hours stipulated wer© ftKceeded. Under existing conditions overtime is' payable if Work is performed outside certain hours. The employers sought agreement to their proposal that shifts could be Worked at any time during twentyfmif hours of the day without payment of overtime* providing always that the stipulated daily hours were not exceeded ; The application for a new award was filed bv the Amalgamated Engineering and Allied Trades Industrial Association of Workers (New Zealand Council), New Zealand Iron and Brass Moulders' Federation and New Zealand United Boilermakers and Iron Ship and Bridge Builders' Federation. The Unions were represented by the following engineers:—Messrs I*. 1. Thurston, agent (Christchurch), A J. ttice (Dunediil), and A. Black (Wellington): boilermakers, Messrs F. &■ Warner (Wellington) and Farmer (Christchurch); moulders, Messrs JHull (Christchurch) and J. Thompson (fiunedin). The employers' case was presented by Mr T. O. Bishop, secretary of the Ironmasters' Federation, Messrs James Cable and A. C. Mitchell (Wellington), G. Pascoe (Christchurch), George Grey (Dilnfedin), and R. O. Porter (Auckland). Negotiations are proceeding and probably the Council will have to sit to 7 morrow as well.