NEW LABOUR LAWS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21970, 19 December 1936, Page 8

NEW LABOUR LAWS

ATTACK BY EMPLOYERS' REPRESENTATIVE SOAP AND CANDLE WORKERS' DISPUTE The view that the recent industrial legislation was productive of anomalies was taken by Mr D. I. Macdonald at the sitting of the Conciliation Council yesterday. Mr S. Ritchie acted as commissioner. The council was hearing a dispute between the Canterbury Freezing Works and Related Trades Employees' Industrial Union of Workers and the Zealandia Soap and Candle Company, Ltd.. Belfast, and others listed in the claim. Associated with Mr Macdonald as employers' assessors were Messrs W. H. Marsh, of the Canterbury By-Pro-ducts Company. Ltd., and C. Shepherd, of the Zealandia Soap and Candle Company. Ltd.; Messrs W. Ingham, R. Ritchie, J. Roberts, and H. G. Kilpatrick (secretary of the union) acted for the employees. The employees finally reduced their wages claim to 2s 2£d for soap workers and 2s OAd for tallow workers and others, as" was provided by the 1931 award. The employers counter-claimed a flat rate of 2s 1 . an hour. The employees' assessors withdrew, and when they returned amended their claim to a flat rate of 2s lid an hour for all workers. Mr Macdonald said that the differing rate for the two classes of workers was anomalous. When compulsory arbitration was abolished it was established in Conciliation Council that tallow workers were worth half an hour more than soap workers. This was a decision based on the facts of the industry. Yet the new legislation directed a *eturn to the 1931 award, which placed the soap workers 2d ahead of the tallow workers. This was topsy-turvydom. All workers in the industry should be placed on a flat rate. Mr Roberts said that when the legislation gave the employers an advantage they had remained quiet, but now thai it gave the workers a greater advantage the employer were complaining. The employers had taken a much greater advantage of favourable legislation than the workers were now doing. Mr Macdonald raid that if the present dispute went to the court the 1931 award would probably be reverted to, and the great majority of the workers concerned would get only 2s o|d. The employers were now offering 2s Id, an advance of £d. Mr Shepherd, too, had undertaken to retain his present staff at the higher rate. Only men taken on freshly would be paid the flat rate of 2s Id. This waj better than they would get from the court. In fact, said Mr Macdonald, the time would come when the workers would wish that compulsory arbitration had not been reinstated. Mr Roberts said that the employees' assessors, too, were agreed that a flat rate was desirable. They had suggested 2s lid. Mr Kilpatrick said that to accept 2s Id would mean a reduction of 5s 6d a week in the wages of many. After further discussion, it was decided that '.here was no chance of a settlement and the hearing was adjourned till the new year, to enable the employees' assessors to place the proposals of the employers before the men. Mr Macdonald asked Mr Kilpatrick to impress on the men that the employers were following the spirit of the legislation by continuing the men now employed at the present rates of pay. The agreement would "be made for a year only, after which the position could be reviewed. It was agreed that hours of work should be 44 at the by-products and boiling-down works, with Saturday work. A proviso to the effect that work could begin either at 7.30 a.m. or at 8 a.m. was added. A 40-hour week for soap workers was agreed to. Overtime was agreed to at time and a half rates. New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, the Sovereign's Birthday, Labour Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Easter Saturday, Show Day, and January 2 were agreed to as holidays, with the proviso that another day should be exchanged for January 2 if necessary. It was agreed that double rates should be paid to men employed skinning or cutting up animals which had died or been killed four hours before reaching the works, and that if thev arrived before 4 p.m. they should be disposed of the same day. Offal arriving before 5 p.m. was to be disposed of the same day if possible. The questions of youths' wages and females' wages were left over.