CONCILIATION COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 227, 19 June 1920, Page 3

CONCILIATION COUNCIL

COOKS"AND STEWARDS' DISPUTE. '•The-dispute-filed by tho New Zealand Federated Cooks and Stewards' Union and the coastal .shipping companies, was heard by the Conciliation Council yesterday. The Commissioner (Mr. Vf. Nowton) oreBided. The assessors were; For the employers: Captain Petersen. Captain Hull, and Mr. J. ' Seek. For the employees: Messrs. E. Kennody, yf. P. Walsh, and- H. Ha'rinont. Mr. W. A. W. Grenfcll .appealed, as employers' agent.

■The (monthly rates of pay demanded by the union were as follow, the old rates being given In parentheses:—Chief stew?. ards..£l7 (£16): chief cooks. £17 (£l6)i cook-steward, with assistant or assistants, £17 (£15): cook-Btowards, where no assistant is.employed, £20 (£16); assistant cooks and' stewards, £1.4 (£lO 10s.): stewardesses, £10 (£9). All overtime, it was desired, should be paid .at-. the • rato of 2a. an hour, and ohief stewards or chief cooks employed.in vessels to carry 20 or more passengers, should receive £1 nor month extra. The hours of labour at sea and in.port should bo eight hours a day. It was. also asked that on completion of 12 months' continuous service all workers should be granted 14 days' holiday on full pay. Tho union reauested. tho following rates of shoro pay: Ohief stewards, chief cooks, and cook-stewards, 2s. an hour ordinary time, and 2s. 10id. an hour overtime; assistant cooks ■ and Btewardß, Is. 9i:, an hour, ordinary time, and 2s. 7id. an hour' overtime. '

The. claims' regarding shore, pay were agreed .to. . ' Mr. Kennedy thought that the union .should- have asked a higher wage than £17 a month. ' CaptAln Petersen said that the employers wero willing to pay a .bonus. It had to be remembered that tho monthly employee in a Bhlp waß better'off.than the man who worked for weekly wages, and who was not "found." Mr. Kennedy replied that' the chief stewards wore entitled to receive as much as iwsklllod workers ashore. '

Mr. Grenfell Bald that it was unfair to compare, the. wages of different classes of workers. In consldcrin* the present olaims it was proper to consider the rates paid- by the. Union Company to cookß and Btewardß. . That would bo a fair, comparison. • .. ~ ■At this, stage tho .hearing of the «Ibpiito was oontinued in private. Subsequently, it was reported that an agreement hed becii reached on a number of tho issues raised, but that some of the claims, including. the . clauses ancctiug wages, had hcen held over for, further consideration. The" further hearing had, therefore, been adjourned > until a date to .be' arranged. .