ENGINEERING TRADE

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 260, 29 July 1932, Page 7

ENGINEERING TRADE

Workers’ Side of Dispute

FEMALE LABOUR QUESTION

Proposals of the employers in the present dispute were criticised at a recent meeting of the Amalgamated Engineers and Allied Trades Union. One of the employers’ proposals is that female workers may be employed under the conditions laid down for male workers, subject to the following special conditions: (a) The hours of work shall be 44 per week, a recess period of ten minutes to be allowed and paid for during every morning and afternoon; (b) women shall not be employed on night shift; (c) the work and operations upon which female' labour may be used includes examining, light drilling, light riveting, tapping and screwing, light milling or grinding, light lathe work, light press work, assembling, soldering, etc; (d) wages are to be those prescribed in the Factories Act; (e) wages shall be paid weekly, but subject to the provisions of the Factories Act relating to deductions from wages, only time worked shall be paid for. Strong exception was taken by the meeting in regard to the introduction of women into skilled production, such as lathe work. For this class of work men would receive 1/8 per hour, while the women would start it at 10/- per week. In the first proposals, it was stated, the wompn were offered 15/- per week with 2/6 increase every six months in wages. Now that the offer is on the scale of the Factories Act, the women would receive 30/- a week, after which they receive no further increase.

Women Not Favoured.

Women workers were employed in the Industry in Australia, it was stated, but the discrepancy between their wages and those of the Australian men in the industry was not so marked. The introduction of women, it was held, was going to make the unemployed situation far more difficult, and would not tend to improve the relations which had existed for a, number of years between the, employers and the employees. . It was stated that protests had already been made to the employers regarding the proposals, and several engineers had left the job.on the Paua as a protest against the new conditions. The position is that certificated engineers and skilled mechanics are in receipt of less wages, and are under less favourable conditions, than the labourers working on the same job. The union invited th 6 employers to main'tain the present conditions until the metal workers’ assistants’ case has been settled, but while one or two of the larger employers were prepared to agree to this course, it was objected to by smaller employers. A resolution was carried to refer the present engineers’ dispute to the Conciliation Council for settlement./

Motor Mechanics. Though working under one union, the engineers and motor mechanics are under separate awards. Indignation was expressed by members of the motor mechanics’ union regarding the conditions imposed on workers In the motor engineering, trade. “The original’ proposals by the employers provided for l/10i per hour, but after meeting them in conciliation,” said the secretary, Mr. A. Black, “we were'offered 1/10 per hour, but 2/- tin hour was offered if we were prepared to eliminate the garage attendants from the award, with an additional id per hour to mechanics holding an A grade certificate. This offer was withdrawn by the employers.” Introduction of Youths.

‘ One of the worst features of the new conditions, said Mr. Black, was the fact that employers would impose a 494liour week without overtime rates. At the present' time the men were, only working two and a half to three days a week. The introduction of more youths into the industry was viewed with disfavour, as it would seriously affect those men engaged in assembling, many of whom would be displaced. Portion of the clauses dealing with overtime in the proposals of the employers stated: “A worker shall not be entitled to be paid at overtime rates unless the time worked in excess of the regular hours is not less than one hour on any one day.” Five hours or more per week might thus be worked overtime without payment. , ’ '

A resolution was passed to refer the matter to the Conciliation Council for settlement? ■ ‘ '

Instructions have been given to the secretary to engage labour through the union office in future. “One of the serious difficulties of the unions lias been to keep employers within the scope of the award in regard to the payment of wages,” said Mr. Black. “A case was reported to me yesterday where a mechanic.worked twenty hours of overtime without any payment whatever. This will indicate what will happen when the awards have lapsed, and price-cutting will be one of the serious matters with which employers will be confronted. This is very much in evidence in Auckland, where some garages are quoting for jobs at 2/- per hour, which is not a payable proposition for either employers or workers."