ARBITRATION COURT

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27415, 30 July 1954, Page 13

ARBITRATION COURT

Hairdressers’ Dispute Heard • DECISION RESERVED A claim to have tobacco shops excluded from the Canterbury Male Hairdressers and Tobacconists’ Assistants Award in the clause relating to closing hours was made by the employers in a dispute heard before Mr Justice Tyndall and Messrs W. N. Hewitt (employers) and F. C. Allerby (workers) in the Arbitration Court yesterday. Appearing for the Christchurch Hairdressers’ and Tobacconists’ Industrial Union of Employers, Mr H. F. Butland said that the employers intended to'apply for a requisition which would lay down the opening and closing hours of shops stocking tobacco and which would curb the sales of tobacco by dairies and such shops which were opened when tobacconists were forced by the award to be closed. The claim was opposed by the Christchurch Hairdressers and Tobacconists Industrial Union of Workers (Mr J. L. Laby), who said that if trade was to be carried on in tobacconists shops beyond the normal hours there would be a danger to members of the union. If a suburban tobacconist were allowed to remain open on Saturday morning he might also be persuaded to cut hair which would detract from the work available to members of the union through the week and so endanger their employment, said Mr Laby. Mr Butland said that the fears of the workers that hairdressing would be done on Saturday were quite unfounded as the claim related only to tobacco shops. In any case there was no guarantee that even the tobacco shops would be open on Saturdays, but it was necessary for closing hours not to be specified in the award before a requisition could be sought. Award Claims Claims by the workers’ union in application for a new award asked that the hours of work be regulated to be the same for all employees in one establishment, that the last customer be taken into the chair 15 minutes before closing time and that shop employees should not be permitted to do work in the hairdressing saloon.

They applied for an increase of 10s a week to ‘£lo 10s for regular employees and an increase of 2s 6d an hour to 7s 6d for casual employees. A cash allowance of 2s 6d a week was sought for tobls of the hairdressing trade, and it was also asked that the employer should pay for protective clothing for his employees. Decision of the Court was reserved.