FIRE BRIGADE WORKERS

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 50, 22 November 1928, Page 6

FIRE BRIGADE WORKERS

APPLICATION FOR INDUSTRIAL AWARD. The hearing of an application by the Wellington Fire Brigades Industrial Union of workers, for the purpose of adjusting wages, and arranging conditions of employment for its members, engaged the attention of a conciliation council on Tuesday. The parties concerned were the Wellington Fire Board, and the Fire Brigade Union. The board was represented by Slessrs. D. E. Wilkie, H. D. Bennett, and R. W. SlcVilly, and the union by Slessrs. I. F. Slote, F. O. Remy, and T. de Mey. Sir. B. C. Hammond, of the Employers’ Association, acted as agent for the board, and Mr. 11. Hauton, secretary of the union, appeared for the workers. The superintendent of the brigade. Sir. I. Creeke. was present during the proceedings. Sir. P. Hally (the Conciliation Commissioner) presided. The application was an original one so far as Wellngton was concerned. The only other places where the wages of tire brigadesmen are governed by the Arbitration Aet, are in Dunedin, where an award of the Court has been made, and in Auckland, where the parties hare arranged their business by an agreement made under the Labour Disputes Act. All the clauses in dispute were considered, and an agreement was arrived at, covering all matters. This agreement will be forwarded to the Court of Arbitration. with a request that the conditions arranged by the assessors should be embodied in an award of tbe Court. After the offeial business had been disposed of, a number of matters concerning the interests of the board and brigade were discussed in a friendly manner.