Printing Dispute Hearing Resumed

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31061, 17 May 1966, Page 18

Printing Dispute Hearing Resumed

C.V.Z. Press Association; WELLINGTON, May 16. The Arbitration Ccurt began a further hearing of the printing dispute today after the failure of the parties involved to agree in a re-convened meeting of the Conciliation Council. Earlier this year, the Printing Trade Workers’ Union asked the Court to establish a 36 per cent skill margin for tradesmen above the wage of an unskilled worker. The court then indicated that the rate for a tradesman be £lB 5s a week and for a general hand £l4 5s a margin of almost 28 per cent It directed the parties back to conciliation to amend the award job classifications, but the parties did not agree in conciliation. Mr T. E. Skinner, president of the Federation of Labour,! appeared for the Printing Trades Workers’ Union. Mr I P. J. Luxford, executive-dir-1

ector of the Employers’ Federation, and Mr R. E. Taylor appeared for the employers involved. Mr Skinner claimed that the action of the employers in asking for time to reclassify skills and the need to consult with people trained in the in[dustry was “just another decaying tactic.” Mr Skinner said that the ‘employers’ proposals submitted to the conciliation proceedings ordered by the Court “were no more than an attempt to write down the value of skill and thereby reduce to a minimum the application of the Court’s suggested margins.” He said that of the eight employers appointed to bring down a classification list, only two had served an apprenticeship in the industry. But the union panel mem[bers who brought down the ; union's classifications were i all tradesmen with years of experience in the industry. Mr Skinner said responI sible, organised labour i throughout the Western world [ had unequivocally rejected [“job evaluation” after close and practical study.

“The union does not accept that it is scientific in the true meaning of the word no matter how much the Employers’ Association or the management consultants attempt to label it as such,” Mr Skinner said. “As a method of eliminating skills, depressing wages land conditions and promoting [strikes it has, however, been very successful overseas." said Mr Skinner. Mr Skinner said females were engaged to work just printers because of their speed and accuracy, a skill acquired over a number of years. The union submitted that classification of skill must be based on the apprenticeship order, and that until the order was amended the present award classification should be retained. Any decisions regarding classifications should logically come from the New Zealand Apprenticeship Committee. Mr Skinner said that the trade certificate could eventually be an essential qualification for the tradesman’s rate. But many highly skilled! tradesmen would be unfairly!

penalised if possession oi this certificate was made a condition of payment of the tradesman's rate at this stage. The union suggested that the only fair way to initiate the trade certificate status as a basis for margins in the printing industry was tc admit all present journeymen to that status as from the date of operation of the new award. From that date appropriate examinations could be subsequently introduced for all skilled sections of the industry. Mr Skinner submitted that to produce work on small off set machines a competent tradesman was required. He said it was inaccurate to assert that a worker could be trained in a few weeks to operate a model 1250 multilith. Mr Skinner said that evidence would be produced to show that in fact there was no difference between display setting and what the employers referred to as straight setting. He said that in addition to the danger angle, the work of paper cutting was highly

>f skilled and demanded careful a application. e Paper cut inaccurately is would ruin a register if a job required printing in colour. it The existing award pro:e vided for a training period of is four years at junior rates of e pay and employers had asked o that the training period be n increased to five years. e The introduction of larger *’ machines in the rotary machine section of the induse try demanded higher degrees 3- of responsibility and skill. 11 The skills of bookbinders e had also increased over recent years with the expansion it of mechanical operations in f- that section of the industry. it Mr Skinner claimed that classification by any other e method than under the presd ent apprenticeship order o would destroy the apprentice--0 ship committee system and have serious repercussions i- throughout the industry. o He asked the Court to make s the new award retrospective y to the date of the first Conr. ciliation Council proceeding t held on April 27, 1965, and that the term of the award a be one year. k The hearing will continue y tomorrow.