Decision Reserved On Apprenticeship

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32167, 10 December 1969, Page 34

Decision Reserved On Apprenticeship

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, December 9. The Court of Arbitration today reserved its decision on an application by the Master Builders’ Federation to increase the proportion of journeymen to apprentices to one to one.

The Court consisted of Judge A. P. Blair, assisted by Mr A. B. Grant. Mr T. C. L. Symmes ap- , peared for the Master Builders’ Federation, Mr W. F. Molineux on behalf of the Carpenters’ Union and Mr R. C. Thornton, Commissioner of Apprenticeship, as representative of the Carpentry and Joinery Industry Apprenticeship i Committee. , The ease for the Master Builders’ Federation was stimulated; by a decision of ’ the < North Canterbury Apprenticeship Committee at the end of the 1968 school year, Mr Symmes told the Court. “The Canterbury committee sought an introduction to i allow the New Zealand apprentices committee to fix the number of apprentices, jather than the existing clause in ' the trade’s apprenticeship order which fixed the num- i ber of apprentices as a pro- I portion of journeymen employed,” Mr Symmes said. 1 The building industry could '

be regarded as a basic training industry from which other sectors of industry drew their skilled labour force, he said. Mr Molineux said that if there was any shortage of apprentices it was not the fault of the proportion clause but entirely the fault of .the employers, who had refused to employ apprentices When more than sufficient boys were available. ; “Based on the present proportion of one apprentice to every two or fraction of two journeymen, the possible intake of apprentices, If employers generally were genuine in their desire to train tradesmen, is approximately double the actual intake,” Mr Molineux said. Mr Molineux submitted that the present proportion clause was more than adequate' and should remain until it was shown to be inadequate to produce the number of tradesmen required to fill the future needs of the building industry.