CLOTHING TRADE DISPUTE

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21250, 23 August 1934, Page 4

CLOTHING TRADE DISPUTE

CONCILIATION COUNCIL POINTS OF DIFFERENCE An industrial dispute, affecting the whole of the New Zealand clothing industry, was heard yesterday, before the Conciliation Commissioner, between the New Zealand Federated Clothing Trade Employees' Industrial Association of Workers, and the New Zealand Wholesale Clothing Manufacturers' Industrial Association of Employers, and others. This is the first occasion for' a number of years that there has been a dispute covering the whole of the Dominion, as at one time two awards operated, one covering the Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago districts, and the other the northern (Auckland) district. There was temporary failure to agree as to whether female workers in the trade should be regarded as apprentices, definitely employed for two years, or as learners, subject to having their services dispensed with at short notice. The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr S. Ritchie) presided, and the assessors were:—For the employers, Mr T. O. Bishop (secretary of the Employers' Federation), Messrs W. E. Anderson (Auckland', M. B. Thorpe (Auckland), C. A. Myhre (Christchurch), representing the Dunedin employers, William Kerr (Wellington), C. N. Cathie (Wellington), F. Cresswell (Christchurch: for the employees: Mr T. Roberts (Christchurch, secretary of the Employees' Federation), Mrs J. Nicholls (Christchurch), Misses A. Hardgrave (Wellington), A. Cossey (Auckland), J. Runeiman (Dunedin), Messrs E. B. Newton (Wellington), A. Stewart (Dunedin), and T. Kennedy (Christchurch).

Questions Discussed The main differences were as to the] status <>i female workers, and the questions of wages and hours of work were also discussed. The employees made application that "the term of apprenticeship for females engaged in any capacity (except shirt-making) in a clothing factory shall be two years. Each worker shall also serve a term of two years as an Improver." The present award rates are:—During the first six months of service, 10s a week; second six months, 12s 6d; third six months, 15s; fourth, 17s 6d; fifth, 22s Gd; sixth, 255; seventh, 27s 6d; eighth, 32s 6d; thereafter, 40s 6d. The employees asked an increase of wages of half-a-crown a week in each of the eight periods, the employers counter-claiming for a reduction of half-a-crown a week in the fifth, sixth, and seventh periods, and of five shillings in the eighth; also that the wage thereafter should be 35s a week, as against the employees' claim of £2 7s Gd. The employers claimed for the award to apply to "female clothing trade workers, and silk, shirt, and white workers." The main difference of opinion proved to be whether the fomale workers should be regarded as apprentices or learners. The respective claims as regards hours of work were for 40 and 44 hours a week. Female Apprentices Mr Bishop, in stating the employers' position, said that they did not object to the use of the term apprentice, but they were seeking to eliminate the conditions at present imposed by its application. It was impossible to teach girls in the trade more than one operation, or at most a narrow range of operations, and the award at the present time was, therefore, in part, inoperative. They were prepared to come to terms over the training of girls, and in the event of slack times compelling a reduction in the number of hands employed, to reduce the number of learners in proportion to the number of journeywomen. Mr Roberts stated that the workers' protection would be removed by the employers' proposals. Employers' Proposals After a retirement, the employers made the following proposals:— j (1) The employer could employ girls ! as apprentices, under the conditions of the present award. (2) The employer could employ girls as learners, with the same obliga. tions towards them as if they were apprentices. Pay for the first four Fix-month periods would be half-a-crown a week above the present award scale. The employer would have the right of dispensing -with the services of such learners as occasion demanded. (3) The total of learners and/or apprentices to be limited- according to