Builders Deny Agreement To Pay Higher Wages

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30196, 30 July 1963, Page 12

Builders Deny Agreement To Pay Higher Wages

The Canterbury Master Builders’ Association yesterday sent all its members a circular advising that the association had not made an agreement to pay Christchurch carpenters higher wages, the association’s president, Mr W. H. Smith, said last evening.

The circular advised members not to pay any increase.

The Christchurch building manager of the Fletcher Construction Company (Mr A. L. Ling), later said his company had not agreed to pay increased wages to any carpenters in its employ in Christchurch. When asked to comment on a statement made by the secretary of the Canterbury Carpenters’ Union (Mr F. L. Langley) on Friday, that Fletchers had agreed to pay Christchurch carpenters 8s an hour—an increase of 5d —Mr Ling said: “He might have been led up a gum tree from his own union." Senior executives of two other companies stated by Mr Langley on Friday to have agreed to pay 8s an hour to their carpenters in Christchurch, were not able to be reached late last evening.

The companies were John Calder, Ltd., that Mr Langley said had agreed to pay 6d an hour more, and Wilkins and Davies. Ltd., that Mr Langley said had agreed to pay 4d an hour more. Mr Smith said the master builders’ circular was sent to association members only. “What individual companies do. is another story,” he said "That’s what happened with Wilkins and Davies—they just go their own way.” When asked if Wilkins and Davies had agreed to pay 8s an hour to carpenters—an increase of 4d—Mr Smith said: “You have put me on a spot there.” Mr Smith said he did not “want to stick his neck out at this stage.” "The main object was to get the St. Helens job back

under way for completion,” he said. (This is a John Calder job.) "The men were to go back to work and a settlement would then be negotiated.” Mr Smith said tire men at St. Helens had been told on the job by Calders that they had gone back to work “on the same condition that they knocked-off." Mr Langley, in a statement to “The Press" on Friday, said an agreement made with John Calder. Ltd., would net the men who had been “locked out" from the St. Helens job a weekly increase of £1 3s 9d on the hours of working. The managing director of John Calder. Ltd., Mr John Calder, is to meet Mr Langley and the senior Canterbury organiser of the Carpenters’ Union, Mr R. Pitcairn. at the Riccarton offices of the company at 9 a m. today. to discuss the claim for higher wages. Mr Smith said that Mr Calder, of Auckland, had come down for the meeting. When asked to comment on Mr Smith’s statements last evening, Mr Langley said: “I am satisfied Mr Smith does not know what he's talking about.”