COURT OF ARBITRATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 338, 27 October 1908, Page 8

COURT OF ARBITRATION.

ENGINEERS' DISPUTE. SUMMARY OF THE NEW AWARD. Ihe award of the Court of Arbitration with respect to the dispute in the engineering trade in the Wellington industrial district has been filed. The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, Ltd., is exempted, so are tho following, conditionally:—Wellington Harbour Board, Union Steam Ship Company, and A. Hatrick and Co., of Wangamii. It will come into force on November 9, 1908, and continue in operation until December 31, 1909. Following are the chief provisions:— I'orty-seven hours shall constitute a week's work, of which eight hours and a half shall be worked on each working day except Saturday, and four and a half on Saturday. Overtime in any one day shall be paid for at the rate of time and a quarter for the first tfl o hours, and time and a half for all further time : provided that it shall be open to an employer to agree with his workers that he shall provide meals, and that such workers shall perform all overtime work at the rate of time and a quarter. Work done on New Year's Day, Easter Monday, and King's • Birthday shall be paid for at time and a half rates, and_ work done on Sunday, Good Friday, Christmas Day, and Labour Day at double time rates. _ If any worker shall work overtime exclusively in repairing any machinery or applianoes used by his employer ho shall bo paid for overtime at the same rate as for his work during ordinary hours. If any worker employed in any factory in which the whole or principal part of the business is. the manufacture of agricultural machinery or implements, or of goods stocked by merchants, shall work overtime exclusively in the| manufacture of machinery or implements or goods which are sold by his employer at catalogue prices, and for which no larger price is to be paid to such employer, such worker shall be paid for overtimo at the same rate as for

• his work during ordinary; hours. Workers engaged on night shifts shall be paid 2s. per shift extra, bjit threo or more consecutive nights must be worked before such shifts can bo reckoned'as night shifts, otherwise overtime rates to be paid. One day and one night shift only to bo worked during each twenty-four hours. Overtime for night shifts to bo the same as provided in first-clause under that heading. All journeymen employed on repairing work, outside their employer's workshop or establishment shall be paid Is. per day each extra as dirt money. Competent engineers of the classes mentioned in the succeeding clause shall be paid not less than Is. 4}d. per hour. The classes affected are fitters, blacksmiths, coppersmiths, patternmakers, and turners. Fitters.—A competent fitter is a man whose duties are such that he may bo at any timo 'called upon to perform all or any of the following work or duty: To have a practical knowledge of all machinery and engines; be able to chip and file rough castings or forg-. ings, line-off the same for machinery, and accuratcly fit or erect the same, as^either machine or engine. Blacksmiths.—lncluded are ongine-smiths and ship-smiths. A competent blacksmith is a man whose duties are such that he may at any time be called upon to perform all or any of the following work or duty: To work under steam hammer capable of welding up to 5-inch shafting; to make all forgings for engines, such as crank-shafts, connccting rods,'etc., up to' 4 inches diamoter; to make any gear necessary for the outfit of a ship'. Farriers and smiths not employed in connection with ship or engineering work are not within this award. Coppersmiths.—A competent coppersmith is a man whose duties are such that ho may at any timo bo called upon to perform and carry out all marine work, locomotive engine work, stationary engine work, brewery work, and copper jacketed pan work. , General. — Competent, patternmakers and. turners are men who in their respective branches of the trade are capable of performing and may be called upon as part of their duty to perform the work usually performed by competent tradesmen in such branches. Apprentices shall be paid as under:—For the first year, ss. per week; second year, 10s. per week; third year, 15s. per week; fourth year, £1 per week; fifth year, £1 ss. per week. The period of apprenticeship shall be five years. An employer shall not bo deemed to discharge his duty towards an apprentice if he fails to keep him at work owing to slackness of work, but such slackness may form a proper ground for transferring him to a master willing to undertake the responsibility of teaching him. Existing arrangements with or relating to apprentices now serving any employer maiy continue, provided that tho employer shall forward the • names of. his present apprentices to the Inspector of Factories within one month after the filing of this award. It shall be the duty of employers to teach.the apprentices now serving them in accordance with the contract of service, and this duty may be enforced under this award. An apprentice,' after serving an apprenticeship of five years, may be employed as an improver for one year at tho rate of no't less than Is. per hour, and thereafter for another year at tile rate, of not less than Is. 3d. per hour. For country work the employer shall pay the fare of the worker both ways, and a proper allowance at current rates shall be made to the worker for necessary meals. When the worker is employed at such a distance that he is unable to return at night suitable board and lodging shall be provided at the employer's expense. Travelling time shall be paid for at ordinary rates, but not to a -greater amount than eight hours in a day. A clause relating to tho" employment of under-rate workers is inserted. No employer shall discriminate against , members of the union. The provisions shall not apply to any work done' in connection with contracts entered into before the hearing of this dispute and uncompiGtoci. Inere is also tlie iigw clause uiidcr the heading "Strikes," which the Court recently intimated that it intended to insert in all awards.

TAILORS' DISPUTE. AWARD OP THE COURT. Ail award in connection with the tailoring disputo in the Wellington industrial district has also been given. It will come into force on November 9, 1908, and remain in operation for two years. . It provided that the'hours of work shall be:-On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, nn a,ni * * Jiooii, and from 1 p.m. till 5.30 p.m., and on Thursday and Friday ITVnn a - m - tiU 12 110011 and 12,45 p.m. till 0.30 p.m.; Saturday, from 8 a.m. till 1 p.m., but master tailors who have tailors working m factories may adjust tho hours to suit tho factory hours, so long as not more than the forty-eight hours are worked. In Wellington, Petone, and Lower Hutt tho proportion of apprentices shall be one to every four journeymen, or fraction of the first four, and m all other parts of tho industrial district the proportion shall be °" 0 , I to three journeymen or fraction of the first three. For the-purposes of determining the number of apprentices to journeymen the calculation shall be'based on a two-thirds full-time employment of journeymen during the -six months immediately prior to taking an apprentice. An employer who works in his own shop shall be deemed a journeyman for the purposes •of this clause. Any employer taking an apprentice shall be deemed to undertake obligation which he agrees to perform as a duty enforceable under the award of teaching him tho trade. The wages for male apprentices shall be as follow;— First year ss. por week; for tho first sis months of tho second year, Bs. per week; for tho second six months of the second year, 10s. per week; for tho first six months of tho third year, 12s. 6d. per week; for the second six months of the third year, 15s. per weekfor the first six months of tho fourth year! 17s Gd. per week; for the second six months of the fourth year, 20s. per weekfor tho first six months of tho fifth year' 2 ? s 'xt Por /T?,' opk; for t,lc second six months of tho fifth year, 30s. por week. An apprentice shall not be employed for moro than 13 hours in any ono week in the work of shrinking and pressing. Tho period of apprenticeship shall bo five years. The obligation of the apprentice to serve his employer shall bo a duty enforceable under tho award. At the end of tho period of appronticoship tho employer shall give the apprentice a certificate to show that ho

has served his apprenticeship. An employer shall not bo deemed to' discharge his duty towards his apprentice if ho fails to keep him at work owing to slackness of work, but such slackness may form a proper ground for transferring him to a master willing to undertake the responsibility of teaching him. liXistmg arrangements with or relating to apprentices now serving any employer may continue, provided that an employer wishing such arrangements to continue shall forward the names of his present apprentices to the Inspector of Factories within one month after the filing of the award. Not moro than one weekly wage hand shall be employed in any shop unless pieceworkers are also employed, and the proportion of weekly wago hands shall bo not moro than one to every four pieceworkers or fraction of first four. For the purpose of determining the number of weekly wago hands to pieceworkers the calculation shall be based on twothirds full time employment for the six months previous for the average of the labour, Nothing shall prevent an employer from employing a presser as a weekly wage hand, and such presser raay fill in his time by doing cleaning, repairing, and alterations. There shall be a fair distribution of work among all operatives in each workroom by the employer. Where there are several workrooms used by an employer the same shall be considered and included as one workroom for the purpose of the clause just quoted. There shall be no distribution of work on what is known as the team system. The weekly hands shall have charge of the male apprentices, and may have the assistance of a male pieceworker whon necessary. All bespoke work shall .be done in the shop of the employer for whom the same is performed, and, for whom, or by .whom, the order is taken. All such work as shall be performed by journeymen shall be paid according to the time statement hereto attached. The expression "bespoke work" shall include all goods, made and sold as "tailor made"-; also any' order in which tlifere is a garment fitted on whether such garment is by'cliart measurement or not. AH work shall be doiie in the workshop premises of the employer, and 110 work shall be_ done in any premises occupied by an operative. The wages to be paid to journeymen tailors and pressers (other than pieceworkers) shall be not less than £2 15s. per week. No deduction is to-be made from this weekly wage,. save for time lost through the worker's own default. Overtime.shall be' paid as follows: —Weekly wage men, time and a quarter up to 10 p.m.; from .10 to 12 p.m., time and a half; double. time from 12 p.m. to 5 a.m.; and from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m., time and a quarter. Pieceworkers, 3d. per hour extra up to 10 p.m.; 6d. per hour extra, from 10 to 12 p.m.; and :Is. per hour extra, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.; from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.; 3d. per hour extra. Any time lost, by any worker (whether a wages man or a pieceworker) by his own default, in any-one--week, shall be made up .by him before any overtime shall be payable to him,' each week to stand by itself. The-following shall be the! recognised holidays:—New Year's Day,' Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Sovereign's Birthday, and Christmas. Day; No deduction from the wages of weekly , hands shall be made for these holidays. Weekly wage hands shall be paid double time for Work done by them on these holidays or on Sundays, and pieceworkers shall be paid at an extra .rate of Is. per hour by the clock for work done by them on' these holidays or on Sundays. Employers shall employ members of , the union in preference . to., non-members. The time statement 1 attached to the award shall be deemed to be incorporated in it. AVlien other than weekly hands'/are employed at ladies' tailoring, the work.iiiay be done at the option of theemployer, either at log rates or at the minimum rate of Is. 4}d. per hour by the clock. In case of any dispute over the interpretation of any of the clauses it shall be referred to a committee consisting of two representatives of the uiiion and two ! of the employers, to be appointed as occasion requires, and they shall jointly elect a chairman, who shall have a casting vote only. The interpretation of the committee shall be the true 'and proper interpretation, and any departure therefrom shall constitute a breach of this award.