SKILLED WORKMEN

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 151, 23 March 1925, Page 9

SKILLED WORKMEN

AND COMPLIANCE WITH AWARD. In the Arbitration Court on Saturday tho Inspector of Awards proceeded against Granilite, Ltd., for an alleged breach /of the Wellington plasterers’ award, claiming £lO by way of penalty. The-.rllegation was that a man, employed by defendant company in fibrous plastering and fixing the plaster with solid plaster, was other than a solidplaster journeyman. Mr. R. T Bailey said there was no I question of (he company not treating its employees well. The man in question was being paid considerably more than the award rate for n journeyman plasterer, and the action was taken with a view to protecting workers who had ! served their period of apprenticeship. I The. object of tho award was to create skilled workmen. Mr. 11. R. Kennedy, who appeared for defendants, said that the mnn had been employer] in fibrous plastering for eight years, atid he was more highly qualified than the man who had served .the usual five years on sol’d plaster. Tne Act involved a “stupendous interference with the rights of employers and their men,” as it endeavoured to prevent a skilled man engaging in his occupation. He submitted tint the award did not make it wrong for a man to be employed on fibrous plastering work when he had been eight years in Hint occupation, especially when the worker was getting more than the award rate of pay. His Honour Mr. Justice Frazer said there whs no special provision for fibrous plasterers in the Wellington award, whereas in most awards there wns a particular section covering them, the provisions of which were entirely different. Clauses 2 and 17 of the award were quite harmless in themselves, but together with clause 14 they became loaded. ITis Honour said the Court would take time to consider the matter, and would put its decision in wriiing. They had to hold that the Wellington award covered solid plastering only.