BRICKLAYERS’ DISPUTE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 246, 12 July 1921, Page 5

BRICKLAYERS’ DISPUTE

BEFORE CONCILIATION COUNCIL. A Conciliation Council sat yesterday to consider fho demands made by the Wellington Bricklayers’ Union for a new award. The Commissioner (Mr. IV. Newton) presided. The assessors, for the union were Messrs. IT. Hunton, G. Bodell. and R. Newman; and for the employers Messrs. 11. Mainland. A. Fletcher, and. E. S. Knight. Mr. IV. A. Grenfell appeared as agent for the employers. The union asked for a five-day. 19-hour week, and minimum wages as follow;— Journeymen, to. an hour; apprentices, -Cl a week for the first year and a subsequent. rise of ss. a week every six months, the period of apprenticeship being five years. In addition to the 3s. an hour for journeymen, the union Bought time and a-half and double time for work done under certain conditions on week-days, and treble time in one instance for work done on Sunday. Overtime and work done on the following holidays, the union suggested, should he paid for at double rates: —New Year's Day, Good Friday, El'/ter Monday, [.about- Day, Anxac Day, Christinas Day, Boxing Day, and such other day a* was recognised in the different localities as a public holiday. The parties failed to agree yesterday on any of the major points, and these were accordingly noted by the Commissioner as "referred to the Court." The employers’ assessors considered that tho union should accept the award recently made by the Court in Auckland, but the union assessors said that that award bad nothing to do with them, that it had l>een obtained by persons, independent of their organisation, and that they were not prepared to accept, it. A difficulty 'll the wfy of settlement was that the union reprcscnlalivfs were anxious not to make any arrangement that might prejudice the, claims of other centres. When the sitting of the council ended it was understood that the union representatives would consult with the other centres, and that probably another meeting would be arranged between the representatives of the employers and tho employees before the demands went on tn the Court.