THE BOOT TRADE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 244, 3 July 1918, Page 7

THE BOOT TRADE

GRIEVANCE ABOUT A PACT

EMPLOYERS' SIDE OF THE STORY

Workers ami employees in the boot trade linve been at loggerheads ior sonie linin. cliielly on account of an iigreeiiienl; which tho employers Jiavo made aiuo-ig themselves not to lake men from each other in these war times. A lew diiys ago a. deputation representinff the unioiis waited on the .Minister id' Labour (the lion. W. 11. llorries) and the Minisl-ir in. Charge of .Munitions and Supplies (I,ho' Hon. A. M. Myers), who in his capacity as .Minister is the biggest buver of boots in tho Dominion, and stated lo the Minintern a grievance. They stated that the employers were using (heir agreement not to employ one another's men lo keep tho wage.* of the men down to tho minimum.

To this statement tho employers look exception, and they waited yesterday on tlio muno two .Ministers to stale i.heii' Bido of the case. Tho speakers for tho deputation said ihafc Iho wages being paid in tho trails wero anything from „E:i to .Cl} fier week, and that the average vase paid to men in the Irntle, including the unskilled workers in Iho reckonI ing, was ,£'! KJs. lid. per head, the I minimum fixed by the Court being Jc" It>s. )d. Another speaker gave (lie wages of I lie male operatives, omitting foremen and apprentices, in Wellington factories as follow:—One at 110s. per week, one at 3005., .1 at !!.>=., 2 nt Ms., 7 at 853., 33 at 80s., 47 at 7!>s., 57 at 705., 3 at (!:>s., and SO at from the minimum to 81s. per week. In justification of the agreement the employers had made, it was stated that there was such, a shortage of operatives tlmt they had to appeal to t!ia military service boards for the exemption of essential workers. Some of the, workors sought to exploit the shortage of men hy trying to get higher wages from other employers who were known Id tie short of eerta'n workers. Often they went a step further, by. going back to their present employer and telling him that they had been offered an increase to go to another factory, and it had happened that the original employer had increased the wages of a man under these circumstances. To protect themselves against this sort of exploitation the employers had agreed not to take >n men who were ajready in employment as boot operatives. A reference was matlo to tho caso of a man in Auckland which had been tho subject of special complaint hy the union. Tho statement of the union to tho Minister had been that the employers had refused lo give l.i.is man a job, and had Tofuscd to give a reason. This was flatly contradicted hy (lie employers yesterday. They said thai in tho conference at Auckland they had olferetl lo give lo the union the reason why it was not considered desirable lo employ this mini, and tho union representatives had replied that they did not wish to have the reason. They wem just as ready to give the real reason to the Ministers if (hat was desired. It was mentioned that the dispute, is to go to the Arbitration Court, mid in view til' Ihis'llioro was renily nothing for either of the Mini-dors lo say hy way of reply. Mr. Myers said that lie hoped nil Iho troubles would lie. smoothed out befm'o long. lfe also took advantage of 111.; opportunity to express satisfaction with (lie quality of the hoots made to Iho order of his Department by the New Zealand factories. lie was particularly grateful for the assistance that had been given to him in the shape of expert: advice by Mr. Ward and those associated with him. It was duo to the assistance ho had received and to the honest work of the New 'Zealand factories that Now Zealand soldiers had been able lo get boots which wc:o the. envy of all other soldiers when our men got lo the oth'.'.r side, of tho world. Mr. Berries said that the employers' side of tho caso as 'presented would huvo just as full consideration as that: advanced by the employees. Ho had thought that the matter was one that ought to be setled hy tho Arbitration Court, an I it would be a ditlicult. thing for the Labour Department or any other Department to interfere with the progress of matters . before the Arbitration Court. The explanation'that had ben given by the employers of the rensuns why Ihct" refused to employ men from other fae lories was a perfectly feasible one, and ho had no doubt that the employers considered their reasons just. The men seemed lo think that the, agreement was a a invasion of their rights.. Tt seemed lo him that this question could Dropcrly be considered by tli* Conciliation Conne'l or (lie Arbitral ion Court. If tho Labour Department could 4ii any. way assist towards a settlement, the Department, and he, as Minister, would he only too gintl to holp. lie hoped, however, (hat tlio matter would he settled by the parlies themselves.