BUTTER WORKERS' AWARD.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 170, 11 April 1908, Page 7

BUTTER WORKERS' AWARD.

CONCILIATION BOARD'S RECOMMENDATION. , :Tlie : award . m the ■ Wellington - Butter, : vJreamery, and Checso'Factories' . Employees' iutljJstVidl iclispiito'i;- as recommended by the Cqpcdiatiqn Board, was' filed yesterday afternoon by tho chairman o£ tho Board, Mi . P. J. ;o!ltegan. During;;tho noxt month, as - from yostonlay, it will bo competent for any employer 1 or the'TJnion," on a resolution being : carried-by a majority-'present, r to refer the : 1 , rccorintondation's the Court of' Arbitration, ,';or the parties may accspt'.the recommendations subject-to somo mod.'Jica- ; tioris,. in. which case-they ..would be' formally -■■■•. referred to the Court to he converted into'an award. Tho'Board's- recommendations aro ■ as. follow:—' A-■ " / " That tho -parties heretofore mentioned : (employers- and'employed) " make joint apv plication to tho Court of Arbitration to have ' ■'.MB:'said; dispute ;settM:' i\ tenri's and sub- •• t : jeet;' to ( ; the r-followiiiiig; Vthat .'is .' to say — t ' V/ages, oto. ' { . V,', 'i' : ' ■ '/1.-Tho following shall: boitho minimum ; * rates. of wages per .week.:—Buttermakers, £3 10s.; choesemaliers, £3i:-10s/; engine-drivers, /creani recoivers, £2: l 10s./;r,creariiqi^vma}iagers;.^£2 v os; )"■ other ' :i workers, (notrincludwg-youths), £2 ss:. • ■ . -' v" srsixteen seventeen years-old -shall.,be to and shall re- ■ ceivo: not: less .:.thanMss.f per week;; . from :seventeen:to-eighteen years, 2os. per week, and' abovo eighteen , yoars a youth shall be ■ doomed to bo-an-adult worker. . " 3: Casual'workers shall- bo- entitled to ahdj shall revive not loss than onfr-eighth in. ■.. addition prescribed.' J For tjio'purposes of this award every person employed- months or less shall be a casdal worfe#'. >, << ~ 71 1 Perquisites. l - J '' - f , ■'4. ;Jn , addition, to tho wages' hereinbefore) prescribed'^or'creamery- managers,-it-shall ■; . employor;iri every case ; to ;; :prqyi # i«/si}ft'kble3 house' accommodation with tuet"-:f T \ll,workers,-.-including;creamery nian- :. agery' Jand -shall" rccsive . not,-"Jess.;Jlian two quarts' of milk per day: In-.b«tior*faetorios-every workeii shall.-be eh--I.' - titled jfoiand -shall recpivb not less .'than two ".-pounds of -. butter per - week,.-and ; : in' cheese ■■■■'-'. fact-orjes every -worker shall bo cntitlod ,to -icceive not- less than two pounds - of,-cheese:,pervri;cek;:provided that : any em.•v piov6r,v,jiistead-o{vsnch:"allOv/ances'in< kind; > mavj.pa£.their equivalent in. money: provided,further,;.thatinfactories' wherein both" but- . . ter-andgheesov aro manufactured, a ..worker ■" 1 the' manufacture v , i:of Gutter .shall.-not".bo entitled to any allow-" /■••Vv..aiica«'of^he6so''or/its equivalent,' nor-.shall, a V; : faeturei'of : chceso'bo entitledv-to-receive- any ■ -fi\allowance of buttdi'-'or-its equivalent.' ; -:v: • ..'; -• ■■■■■; -"o.i-Tho' wages... prescribed j forcreamery • managers': shall 1 not-;'cover! tho 'carting- of ?fuel, : ; or;sWresi : of;'any..liiiid, '.and. in every caso tho-remuneration-for this class of ; ".ser.yice : shall be determined-by mutual; agreed »nont■' w.':'. A Fortnight's Notice. \ . - f6. Wages shall bo paid fortnightly, and •■■ ' J ;;a .fortnight's .hotice/'- on cither side shall . sufheo to. terminate tho contract of service: V;-, . provided that if such contract shall bo t-er-V .. . mmablff or t-erminated under circumstances . which preclude notice, wages shall bo due and . termination. .- :-!' - 'i.7. Subjcct to tho clause.next following, if and ;whcn' an engine-driver does .work m oddit-ioii'-.tq his. duties':as ongiriisdrivcr, such work'.-shall/Jj'o';arid shall- be .dcemed: to be ac- ! -'his ;-\/ork- as .-ongino-drivcr, and . " he shall nevertheless be classed as an eiigine? v ; driver;'-:' :^"^;K--si, vi«£t|^-;ir>V!/ / ' ;i=Manager's Dutiesfioc- it --1 > - . V ' ' -. " 8; If and- w'hen tlio manager of any fac- : torv does any.y'of ; the i work for.-,which , the . ■ mminlunr vvages aro horembefore, prescribed, ■ ho shall bo Qxempt .ifrom. the provisions of • '.thiSi.-award-.if ancl■ so long.-as- nis&salarr' as manager .is not : l"ess than tho mininiuni . wages prescribed,.for - tho additional work ho ( does: provided-'tlliftwhere;,tlio manager -is not, the . ,'buttermalcer, cheesemaker,- .engine-driver, or first-assistant, as tho case-may. be, lio shall not -bo entitled to be;classed as such to tho •exclusion- 'of -workers who actually perform ■ tho work /of fbuttcrniaker, cheesomalf<r v en-gme-dnver, or-first" .assistant, ..as; tho.'casd \ . may-bo: provided, further; tliat nothing in ■ this clauso contained shall.-hivo ahy, appTica-;-tion..-.to.creamery.njana tors; "9. In every creamery where tho-milk ,re- ■ \ eeived per day.- ,-oxceeds; twenty thousand pounds, there shall be employed an assiit-::ant,-whose wages shall not. bo. less thaii 255. per week: ' • . ,i/i . Hours of Labour. .'V Subject to'^^tho' I .provisions.hereinafter : \V': contained i'to' bylertsnie.Vthe' .wcek'.s work -. shall irf no caso exceed fifty-four hours: pro- : v vid'ed- that tho' hours" of."work .'in or in; con- ' nection with-creameries shall bo subject tc ... mutual agreement. • ' . 1 Overtime. , "Hi Overtimo shall bo' payable at tho rate '■ .. / of: .t-ho-first'four- hours, timo and o quarter; for. tho next four hours, timo and n half ; -.Md':theredf,tei\f douhlo -time:. provided that-overtime shall be .computed:only'.-.at the end of tlio week, 'not be reckoned unless , and until , tho aggregate iiumber. of •hours actually, worked : shall have exceeded ' filty-lour, as prescribed by: Clauso 10 hereof. Holidays. | , , " 12.-Every.- worker who shall, havo worked ■ : for/not. less , than oight months during, the 6amo: year: forj tho'samo employer filial! : be - .to and - ; s|i'all -receivc-fourteen days' • I holiday- on: full pay, - and a' holiday of proporwonato duration shall .bo allowed every ■■ -. worker: wlio shall have worked less-than.oight •; .' moiitli3 - during -thesamo. year: for. tliQ.tsamc ; employer; but not less than.six' months :\pro- . ,- vided' that- for the of this clause, . V the year shall' be reckonod from the" date i/j ■ t the commeneemont of. tho contract of servicc, and. need not neccisarily coincide with the ( natural .-year. ; : "13. Christmas Day and Good Friday shall • / bo holidays, and all, work/dono'oii.tlicso days . or either of themVshall-it)6 paid" for at tiic rato of double time. ' .. Accommodation. "Jt4. Every factory shall ue-.provided witl v a suitable bathroom and-dressing-room: pro vidfid; that nothing': in this-clauso contamet ' Bhall.obligo any employer, to'provido a dress ing-foom who, pripr to tho, date of this award have provided a combined bath ant dressing-room. .. "15. No employer shall require* any workei towork longer than fivo hours' without c reasonable., interval for .a moil. No Discrimination. s : 16. .No employer shall discriminate againsmembers tho- union-; nor shall any cm 1 ployed m-the conduct of his business do any ... thing 'direitlyj or.-_indirectly for tho purposi , of iniudng the union. , : , Duration-of Award. , ■'!Vl7iiThis award shall come into operatioi on "thoi tentli day./of, May, 1908, and-slial roniiiinohi operation uiitil and including tli< -; teijtlwday. of- May,'.. 1910, and thereafter un less-suspended .by .another-award or, indus trfal-agreement: 1 . .. '• . ' . !' April 10th; 1!)03." . - ; , * ' " l'i, Ji-O'REGAN, Chairman." JIICMOHANDUJI. ■■ The.Hours per Week. • "Thoiiihipif asked for a forty-oight-hon weckj and it',was.contended on bobalf of,th unidii :that all the, work' in butter or cheesi factories could ordinarily bo done in that time ' After - pijrsoually ■- visiting-, and' inspecting i number'of : factorieß in-various parts of thi industrial district, we think that by, tlio adop tion' 'of more, systematic ;.mcthods ■ the hour, of labour might be'curtailed, but we aro no prepared to .recommend less .than' a fifty-fou , tiour'iwek. Tho, clause providing for yearl; holidays "on full , pay embodies existing prac tice, and is obviously intended to bo com

perisatory for tlio long, hqurs necessarily worked during the busy season. 1 Big and Little Factories. ''Tho employers'were desirous having factories classified according to output, and to, have wages graded accordingly. After carefully considering the question of classification, wo ; havc decided against its adoption.. Wo havo boen influenced largely by tho'fact that, generally speaking, although,there'aro a few. factories, couducted on a scale much laiger than that of tho great majority, the rates of wages are much the same in large and-small, factories. In many eases tho manager doos tho work for which wo havo prescribed tho minimum wagd,-. and wo'hfivo drafted clauso 8 for the ■purpose of preserving oMstmg practice. We think that tho 'clause ; fully meets the difficulty of classification, as it will allow what already obtained to fcoritinno without restriction or modification, of any kind.. Milk, Butter, and Chessa Allowance. "The union asked for an allowance ot two pounds of, butter per week and two 'quartsof milk per- day in butter factories, and two'-. quarts of-milk per day and choose in che,cse : factories, in' addition to the wages asked.' Wo havo found that thoso-allowances in kind exist'in the great majority of fac-tories;-'in fact, : tho allowance of milk obtains generally. Wo liav.e devised clause 3 as a. compromise on. &>point' we have found.difficult:to d»al with.; : Levelling Up. ' :'. " The minimum wages' recommended repre- ' sent'an increase in respect of some factories, but' a'rq not in excess of those -now being; paid in! tho groat'. majority v .of factories, .while in some' instances {morels being paid. ,'lri :the matter of sanitation wo. found the factories, generally speaking; all thr.t could bo desired-' The 'union asked for bath and, dressing-room accommodation, for workers; Wo find that in tlio .great majority of factories t|iia already oxists, 'though in many? pases tho- bath and dressing-rooms aro combined, iWo consider that' factories not alreadyprovided with•, .'.bathing' accommodation should '.. bo brought into -lino with tho and clauso •14 accordingly represents our. decided opinion in. this 'connection;-.To/ avoid; unnecessary, hardship,' avc have provided that only from tho coming, into operation ofithe proposed award shalf employers bo obliged-to provido soparato dressing accommodation whero tho same does not already exist. .-..." -..-' The Thorny Question of Preference. "The union also claimed proferenco of employment for its members.' On this question .there: was;not tho.remotosVchanco of. agreebetween tlio parties: ■ The question has been considered at length by-us,, as the'claim for prcfrrenco, was--pressed -on behalf ;of ' the ''union;: . Havingregard -: to' all, tlio .circumstances' of. tho • Vcaso, »•: h'owo ver, 1 , and _. mora especially t'o, -tho fact .'that-the. factories- are widely separated, ancr often in remote parts of: tho-industrial, district/ wo .havo_-decided 'riot to recommend preference in this instanco.' .The 1 'decision i represents .'tho finding of ■; a 'majoHtyCof. the-'-Board:,: After 'a carofur'and ■ complete ; investigation,' we are able .to' record that,.witli this exception, tho.forogoinz represents' the unanimous'finding: of ..tho Board." :