DISPUTE ENDED.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1285, 14 November 1911, Page 4

DISPUTE ENDED.

STEAM OWNERS AND THE MEN. SIGNED AGREEMENT, OVERTIME AND WAGES SETTLED Provisional agreement was arrived at yesterday afternoon between Ihe rcprosentuiives of shipowners and the representatives of the Seamen's Union. The parties met oil Wednesday last, but at once a diliiculty arose ns t/> who should 1)0 chairman. and the conference adjourned until next day to enable Mr. I'. llally, Cuneiliatiou Commissioner, to preside. The delegates met again next day, but nt oiioc a further difficulty a rose, for the union delegates refused to proceed unless the owners granted aljsolute and compulsory preference to unionists. This was not granted, and lliey withdrew from tho meeting room, Tho owners then conferrod alone, and the uniou representatives likewito alone, and they met again the next day, when the preference clause as it appears in the agreement was adopted. Tins difficulty over, thero appeared to be some prospect of a settlement, and so it has turned out.

Awaiting Australia Award, Tho agreement is provisional only, for it will continue in operation until an award has been made in the seamen's case nt present being oontidered by the Federal Arbitration Court. So soon as tho official record of the prow.odings of tho l'tderal Court in the case have been received here, tho partite will by mutual arrangement meet to discuss the whole po.-ition again. This will probably in the course of a month or thereabouts. The geiNiral opinion among member* of both parties, however, is tnat there will be no difficulty about coming to on agreement at the second conference. They are all likewise in agreement that the batisfactory outcome of the confcrencc just concluded was duo in no small degree to the work of Mr. llally, an opinion which they expressed in a vote of thanks accorded to liini when things were settled. Ilis method was to induce tho two sets of delegates to confer apart on points on which they were at variance. Withdrawals of cither side from tho room on this account were frequent, and in every instance the parties contrived to agree. Tho main features of the agreement are that all ratings, with the exception o£ ordinary seamen and boys, obtain an advance of 10s. per month in wage;, and that the overtime is increased from Is. for ship's work and Is, 3d. for cargo work to Is. Gd. all round. This last was what tho men demanded, but .£1 iter month was tho lowest inereaM- oi wages asked for, while for some positions as much as .£3 increase was asked. A good deal of the subject matter of the original demand; of the union stands over pending the award of the Federal Arbitration Court. The Agreement. Following is the text of the agreement :— "Wellington, November 13, 1011. "Work shall be continued under the award dated Bunedin, April 4, 1908; Auckland, April 4, 1!I0S; Wellington, April 4, 1!)0S, with the following provisional variations. "Tho provisional variations aro to be binding until a new agreement between the parlies comes into operation, and no longer. "The provisional variations aret "(1) Employers shall, in the engagement or subsequent employment of workers give preference to those members of the Federated Seamen's Union of Australasia who are not more than three months in arrears with their contributions to the sa,id union, provided that any such unfinancinl membor Bhall again becomo eligible for employment on payment bf his arrears without any fine in addition. Should there not be a sufficient number of such members available when required, then in such case employers may engage or employ other men, conditionallv that they shall become nnd remain members of the said union during the currency of their employment. The entrance fee and subscription shall becomo payable on the first pay day after joining the ship, when it shall be payablo to the delegato on board, or lo tho secretary of any branch of the union. Members of the union presenting themselves for employment shall produce their union book to the employer prior lo engagement, to show tlmt they are members not more than three months iu arrcar with their contributions. "Membership of the union shall bo open to anv man of good character. _ "Non-members at present employed in vessels aro to be allowed two months in which to become members of the union. "The union undertake that, the maximum entrance fee nnd subscription shall not. exceed 125., and Is. per' month, respectively, during the currency of the agreement. [Note.—Non-unionists nt present cmployed are to bo allowed lo remain until a licw agreement is mado,] Tho minimum wages to bo paid lo llio various employees mentioned in Clause 2 of the award above referred lo shall increased by 10s. per month, with tlie exception of ordinary seamen and boys. , .. "(3) Wherever in Clause (1) of the said award tho overtime rate is mentioned nt Is. or Is. 3d., it shall 1)0 treated ns Is. Gd„ with the exception of sub-Clause C, relating to ordinary seamen. "(4) This agreement is without prejudice to either side, and is to come into forco as from November 1, 1911.' The signatures to tho agreoment on behalf of the owners were Messrs. C. Holdsworth, U.S.S. Co., C. Hanson, Northern SS. Co., W. Roeers, Anchor Co., and Captain C. M'Artliur, Maoriland S.S. Co.; nnd on behalf of the union, Messrs. \Y. Belcher, Duncdin, D. J. Munro, Auckland; W. T. Young, Wclliuglon; and D. Donovan, Wellington,

The New Wages. Tlio following nro the monthly wag<* which will bo payable uuder the agreemenU- £ Boatswain* 8 10 Lamp trimmers and A.B. 5... 8 0 Lamp trimmers < JO Able (ioainwi ' IJJ Kirst-class ordinary seamen ... ,> 0 Second-class ordinary seamen l 0 i'irsi-class boys J Jj Second-class boys .........110 DonkcvmMi, 44ranr watches 10 10 Donkcrmeji.- G-liour watches 11 10 Firemen, 4-hour watches 9 10 Firemen, G-lionr watches ... 10 10 Greasers, 4-hour watches 0 10 Greasers - , G-hour watches 10 10 Trimmers, 4-lionr watches ... 7 10 Trimmers, G-hour watches ... 8 10 Storekeepers, or greasers and i storekeepers 010 Gveawu's and storekeepers, Gliour watches 10 10 Overtime, Tlio following is tlio overtime clause of the award as amended:"Overtime shall bo paid at tlio following rates, viz.;— _ (a) To boatswains, lamp trimmers, and A.D.'s, A .13.'?, donkeynion, greasers, firemen, and trimmers, when employed at Working cargo, Is. fid. Note.—'Working cargo means shippinfr, diseharelng, or otherwiso handling rargo, or driving winches or hydraulics, attending ynvdarms, attending hatchways, shipping or unshipping hatches, or keeping steam on donkey or main toilers for cargo purposes. (b) To any of tlio said men when engaged nt any other class of work except as specified in paragraph (d) below. Is. (c) To ordinary seamen for all classes of work, exrept" as specified in paragraph (0), below, Is. (d) 1. To any nf (he said men when in boating rargo ill '.Madsteads in the months of .lannary, F"l:runry, March, .April, ifentrmbpr, October, November, and DoremW, Is. fid. 2. To any of the paid men when engaged in boating cargo in rondsteajr: in the months of .May, June, July, and AuguM, Is. (Id. To any nf the «iid men when engaged in trimming coal at loading ports, Is. fid. Overtime of quartermasters fihall bo computed ,)n the of _ the avorogo overtime earned bv A.D.V driving f,-indies and hvdranlies in their i-osoeelive vessels, 5. .Hoys shall not be worked orertimc.

For Bronchial Coughs, take Woods' Great PcDuormint Cure. Is. 6d,*