PRINTING TRADES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3025, 12 March 1917, Page 6

PRINTING TRADES

COMPLETE AGREEMENT. REACHED/ Complete agreemont has been arrived at beforo tho Conciliation Council'in the Lithographic and Letterpress Pruitors' Machinists' dispute. Mr. W. H. Haggar, Conciliation Commissioner, presided, and the representatives of the parties were:—l 1 or the men, Messrs. Walter Eeeby, and Arthur T. Hind, of Dunedm, representing the Federation, Robert H. Hustler (Wellington), qnd John M'lnnanney (Auckland); for tho employers, Messrs. Frank W. Jones (Auckland), F. Pirani (Feildiug), and L. T. Watkins (Wellington). Tho principal now features of the agreement, which iB to apply to the wholo of the Domiriion, are as follow:—Weekly hours remain tho same, but the timo within which they may be worked on an evening newspaper are altered slightly, 7 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. being substituted for 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. A war bonus of ss. per week is granted except in a new grading of employers—efheient lithographio, rotary, and off-set machinists, who are to receive £3 10s. per week with a war bonus of 2s. 6d. The overtime clause is amended by providing for double time after the first three hours' overtime worked in any one day. Apprentices are limited to Bix. in any one' office, and provision is made that the probationary period may be worked in conjunction with the last three months of another apprentice's term. Returned soldiers, particularly disabled, are provided for in the underrate workers' clause.

A further conference held on Saturday morning arrived at an agreement to be applied to the Dominion, outside of Wellington, in the • bookbinders and papers-rulers' dispute. There is a war bonus of ss. per week, and the overtime clause is altered to provide, for time and a-third for the first three hours and time and a-half till midnight, and double time thereafter. Returned disabled soldiers are provided for in the under-rato workers' clause, and it is laid down that piece-work may be adopted by agreement between the local union and the employer. Tho agreement is for a term of three years from April 2. The representatives of, the parties in this case were: For the employers, Messrs. L. T. Watkins, F. Pirani, Hugh Douglas, and Frank Jones; for the men, Messrs. A. 1\ Hind, Ernest Knight, and R. .Ferguson (of Dunedin, representing the Federation), a,nd T. M'lnnanney (Auckland).

Application will be made to the Arbitral,ion Court to-day to confirm the agreements.

On the conclusion of the sitting on Saturday morning Mr. L. T. AVatkins, on behalf of the employers, and Mr. Ferguson., on behalf of the men, expressed their appreciation of Mr. Haggar's work ,as chairman. His ability and 'not had been responsible for invd: of t-iia success of the conference. The representatives unanimously decided that their satisfaction with the Commissioner's work should be recorded when the disputes are mentioned before the Court.