CUT NOT TO APPLY

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 226, 20 June 1931, Page 8

CUT NOT TO APPLY

Motor Mechanics’ Assistants Award COURT’S DECISION A brief amending order exempting asriatahta under the motor mechanics award from the provisions of the general order reducing wages by ten percent, will be issued by the Cour■ This announcement was made by the president of the court, his Honour Mr. Justice Frazer, in the Arbitration Court yesterday afternoon. His Honour also >,iamplified the explanation he made during the hearing of the general order, case of the procedure to be followed in applying for exemption from the order ana cleared up several misunderstandings that appear to have arisen. While specifically exempting agprentices employed on or before June b last, the general order makes no mention or assistants, who are in reality apprentices without indentures. When the award covering motor mechanics was made .1t was understood by all parties that assistants should have the privileges and responsibilities of apprentices. His Honour stated that the court would put" through a brief amending order to the' motor •mechanics award . providing the same exemption for existing assistants as had been extended U) existing apprentices. It would provide, that the terms of the general order would not apply to assistants. That meant that the order would not affect any assistant taken on before the end of Juno. Procedure to be Followed. An explanation of the procedure to ba followed by organisations seeking exemption from the provisions of the general order was sought on behalf of the Trades and Labour Councils’ Federation by Mr. F. D. Cornwell, secretary of the Wellington Trades and Labour Connell. Mr. Cornwell said that several unions had asked the federation to obtain a ruling as to what procedure should be followed in applying for exemption from the provisions of the general order, rit nad been stated that each union would’ have to file a separate application, whether it was under a Dominion award or not, and that' each application would be heard separately at the place where- the union was registered. “Such a procedure would be extremely cumbersome." said ' Mr. Cornwell. . . ~ . . , t His Honour replied that the court had already given consideration to that mat-. “It seems there Is some confusion as "To what happens after the application is filed,” said his Honour. “Each employer will have to have a registered letter sent to him containing a copy of the application. I do not think it is necessary for local unions to file their applications separately in their own districts. It w be sufficient for the federation to file an application in each district to which the award applies, and then when the court has fixed the date for hearing notice of that can be given by advertisement. In the case of a Dominion award we quite realise that separate hearings are unnecessary, and Mr. Prime authorises me to say that he will get into touch with the Employers’ Federation and see if it is possible to agree to a single hearing. \ v “The federation of unions should get into touch with the federation of employ-; ■ ers in each case and arrange for a place of hearing that is mutually convenient. There might of course be local circumstances to make separate hearings desir-s able." His Honour added that the procedure was the same as under the old legislation. He thought it was generally agreed upon in a case of Dominion awards nine years • ago that one hearing would , do.