DISTRIBUTION OF LABOUR

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 241, 4 July 1908, Page 7

DISTRIBUTION OF LABOUR

CLASSIFICATION OF WHARF MEN. , CASUAL HANDS REGUL AR 'EMPLOYEES.- • • An animated discussion'on the. distribution of labour arose out of a remit tablod at the Conferonco on Watersido 'Labour . yesterday by Mr. Farland (Wellington 'Union). to : tho effect:— v '. "That this Conference institute full inquiry into the individual ''conditions _ of tho men, with the' object [of 'providing a scheme for the bett'or~'distribution of tho work'' ''I 1 *''" : Introducing tho remit,j Air. Farland' said tho rogular wharf labourers. tiers seriously affected by the competition., of casual workers. Men who woro ahlo 'to" obtain,' on ofeca-' sions, from £4 to £5 por.iWeek,vWPre -.frequently out down to a few;,qhillings." Others who had been in regular employment on t)w wharves for five months 'at a' stretch iriadb' an average of from 25s.'''ftTS0i.' per week.. This was not a living wage;'.and; could only be equitably adjusted by'a'fair-'distribution; of work.. If. a systematic appo'rtipriment-of-labour wero arranged for tho regular work-;-ers, " casuals" would soon cease to hang about. Mr. Canham (Auckland) complained "that, regular employees ,were often '"'frozen but."

WHO SHALL SERVEP .... .-•*••• : Mr. Jackson (6re^qu^h^jras^qf^'6^raidh , .• that when, discrimination was';,shqWfi .'ln ;;the engagement of regular men/ 'reasons 'should be'given by the employers. AHe also ;con-' tended that labour should be,apportipncd:on' a basis of a specified number or hours, I ' and. not for tho whole day. At Westport the conditions assured the workers -a-living-'wage, as tliq supply was equaUitO/ .tho Regular workers were and lie was of opinion that ' >vas called for in this connection...-.A; ,

Mr. Farland theii moved:— "That the employers of wharf labour bo. compelled to show justfCause..and reason for discriminating > .against,? any. man, who has been employ.edjfot.'a: perioii pf time in his individual 1 department; tho secretary of the Union act <'as- adjudicator in all cases; and hours';of-, engagement be suoh that; inen-can leave tho waiting-rooms periodically;'' - - -

Mr. . Jones (Wellington) said'that if the, strength of the unions was' kept '.in 'plrojKrf-' tion to tho visiblo supply of labour, a livingwage would bo assured under the preference clause. Ho' supported tho-motion.- -'' . . Mr. Harney (Westport) 's'a'id 'that.'at 'West-'. port, care was taken that "tho" regular'ffim-' ployees did i.not suffer by -' distributing ';tho' availablo labour too diffusely. ;:; i Mr. Kelly (Wellington) pointed out,that' thoir .only salvation lay'through" Socialism/ Ho suggested that considerable' good would he done by the publication of a weekjy letter sotting forth the:supply of labour currently offering. ' ■ Mr. Gibb (Auckland) said that when a man was partially incapacitated for heavy wh'arf' labour, the Union Company,, at his .-port, usually gave him light duties. ' (Hear,'hear.) Mr. M'Laron moved that ? the ! 'Executivo, : with of the unions',''evolve soino such system aj would provido a'fairer of work, and that the. Govenimeiit b'o .asked to legislate in tho direction! of . providing boards of appeal, beforo which, men','/ who' might ho deprived, of their. Hying after haying followed their fori, a /certain' period of timo, could appear. • The workers', representatives on such appeal boards. should bo appointed by tho unions. ;: He; had known of cases where men, after-'teii or fifteenyears' regular work on tho"wha.T.ves, had.'been' discharged, and no reason's given. :..Th,is' %ii; seconded. ' " 'v. . "

Mr. Jones (Wellington) said that- if . the union secretaries wero thoroughly alive to tho men's interests, and'were on. the spot,much good would bo, : thought-jthat .tho. socretary of tho ;iiriioii;: slioultlt jin; questions of dismissal."'' j Mr. M'L&ren did not apprbVo ; 6t'sect'e&ie's as adjudicators, aiid they such a proposal,' even if 1 put forward' by" tho Conference iVould meet: with small" success. '

'• Mr. Voyco .(Lyttelton) said/that the', factshould, not-bo overlooked that employers, aftor > all, wero tho' projjbr - judges' of. those] whorii they wished" to omplby.' ' , Mi 1 .-.Jackson (Greymoutb); said .that -tho': Government would not listen ! 'to. such\.a proposal as that. suggested'in the''original' 1 motion. Both. sides to any ipejustrial dispute,'; even as between' individuals;';-'must ■; be:'.re-' presonted. If they wentj."to'Caibine|^with c suggestions pf an absurd''na'ture;''th'6y."would* bo laughed at. . 'Hb. "Jones' " "Anything 'said at' tho Conference should riot'lie'-'characterised as absurd. • .. ... '"'..The Chairman informed' Mr. "Jbnea iithat: ho'could not uphold his protest. - Mr. Jackson, continuing}-said that this qiiostion of a fair distribution of labour was a 'grievous one; It was All-, very! wdll:'for certain people to say tha.tv^hp;,,solution-was: Socialism. That might bjj,£o,"t.but:not under present;' cpnditions. . Cb'mgetitiyo' industry , meant a wages system c * -go' slowly. They could not'Jsebki-.to: restrict em- : ployers in. this Hq, asked delegates' to reflect upon what had -Been,' achieved dur-' ing the' last ten. years, -Wn&. to. believo' that jihey .would still 'continuo"^progress..- But, tljey must not attempt*' ttt grasp,^tho,clouds' or/'achieve, all at'once, what.itho,,iadv,ocate3., of Socialism believed could. achieyedv.vHjj; supportod Mr. M'Laren's amendment. Mr. Wilson (Lyttelton)j.belioved in-boards' of appeal for workers who.i might' "eo'usider that they had been victimised.. Tho amendment was a practical proposition'; -ivMr. .Farland, as mover-.-of , ; ..the-.original; 'motion.disagrecd. ..C - Sir. Kelly, (Wellington) .^aid^th'at,-tho late, Mr. Seddon had publicly ip, Syt!pey„ tliat tho only people who had; henqfitodj by, tho New Zealand fabouf.ilaws ! were''the;iich".- i . Dr. Findlay had said that' wero/a frac-;' tion worse off. , '

Mr. Jackson: again urged that,,something' was to bo said for tho progress ,iwhich'.had been made." Too much contjimely./andj.contompt had been heaped -upon; the industrial; laws—the workers had finitely bettor than the ■terrible''lcondition of things years ago, and ..now.'.they, wanted more. The laboiir laws.,had been" after much thought, with. ;tho,. pose'of bettering their conditjgn! (iii ',,- ini ,-.. The amendment was ttien'p'utj.and-carried. by 8 to 5.' SUPPLY OF LABOUR. Considerable discussion subsequently .took place oyer a proposal that tho conference should recommend that mei&urcs bo instituted whoreby the unions should ba givon. tho; responsibility of supplying- tho labour.' 0 ., .■ ; Mr.' Kelly (Wellington) said/fliat 'such- a scheme would. cffectively i ,deal ; Vsi'ith.''Munfaif black-listing, and : ".Y.icti.niisi))g.!l,.„.,;Aii ! 'independent officer might ; ,'bq''. .whother by the.Government or lij;,tho uiiion was immaterial—whpi would detail. men' for. duty as required. ,-, r Mr. Farland'thought , that tho' unions should hayo an more fully dig;; cussing tho question. . . Tho Lyttelton delegates.'-(Messrs. ToycV and 'Wilson) wore opposed to tho selection of labour being vested in one man. . The . plan had been tried at Lyttelton, and had. been a failure. ... .-' , ' , . Mr. Goodall (Greymouth) was in favour of tho unions detailing tho men. It could bo worked oh an equitablo basis. ~ "A.BAD CASE" Mr; Jackson supported. Ho quoted an instanco, hitherto unpublished, ' of what', ho described as a very bad ease of' ■" victimising." A young fellow had' boon employed by. the Railway Department as a probationary, shunter. Ho sustained -a slight injury to his kneo, which loft him a little weak, and asked for a change of work. ..(Cries , of "Shaniel" ) Ho was, instead, dismissed as medically unfit. He had, moanwhile, mado a note of his overtime, domnnded it, and got ,it. He then went on the Greymouth wharf, where ho oarnod £3 per week, and. was looked upon as a smart worker. . . Tho" 'foreman on tho wharf was subsequently ordered, by .-the 'departmental heaid to.^isjwnso-withi his services, and ho had to. go; ' Ho; (the speakor) immediately wired tho Premier,-' and the matter was referred by him to tho hoad of .the Railway Department; who'replied that though he could understand' th<K

man's, dismissal from.tho shunting work, he could not conceive why he should bo prevented from obtaining employment on tlio wharf.. This man had ij.ow been reinstated. Ho (the speaker) said that the Greymouth Union heartily appreciated the Government's prpmptitudo in dealing with the matter; it would riot, however, be so easy to deal with . private employers.' -:i • • . It was decided, on the motion of Mr. Canham (Auckland), to ask unionß to set up Bpqcial committees to go into the whole question, and report to the next conference of tha Federation.