DISPUTE AT END

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 49, 21 November 1932, Page 8

DISPUTE AT END

Wages on Waterfront AGREEMENT REACHED Employers and Federation An agreement has been arrived at between the employers of waterside labour and the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Federation. The new rates of pay will come into operation on November 24 aud are retrospective to August 19. The new basic rate of pay is 2/- an hour, and there are extra rates for special cargoes. This announcement was made to “The Dominion” yesterday on behalf of both the employers and the Waterside' Workers’ Federation. This new agreement is the outcome of negotiations extending over many months. The previous award expired in October, 1931. Early this year the employers submitted terms for a new agreement to’ the federation, these being discussed at meetings between the two parties and slightly amended. A secret ballot was then taken all over New Zealand by the waterside workers, and resulted in an almost unanimous decision to reject the terms offered. The result of this ballot was announced at a final meeting of the Conciliation Council held on July 16 last. No agreement was then arrived at, and under the terms of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act the Conciliation Commissioner advised the Registrar of Awards that it had not been possible to reach an agreement. Cause of the Hold-up. At the expiry of a month from the day on which the report was made the award lapsed, and on August 19 the employers put into force the terms of their proposed agreement. The waterside workers refused to accept engagement under these terms, and a general hold-up followed. On August 22 an arrangement was come to between the two parties for the resumption of work pending a further discussion, and work was resumed at the employers proposed rates of pay—l/11 an hour—but under the old conditions. Further negotiations resulted in the employers amending their proposals, i and these new proposals were then subjected to a further secret ballot by waterside workers in all ports. The results from the various ports were forwarded to the New Zealand federation, and the result has this time shown the men to be in favour of accepting the employees final modified terns. Under the new agreement the men will receive in a lump sum the extra penny an hour for all ordinary time worked since August 19. New Rates of Pay.

The new basic rates of pay are 2/per hour, as against 2/4 under the 1929 award. This, however, had been reduced to 2/1 1-5 by the 10 per cent, cilt. In the employers’ original new proposals the basic rates were 1/11 an hour. The rates of pay for special cargoes are much the same as those in existence under the 1929 award, whereas in the original proposals they were considerably lower.

Men employed aboard lighters or barges in connection with the handling of frozen produce will be paid 3d per hour over the general cargo rate, while those handling general cargo on lighters or barges will be paid 2d an hour above the basic rate. The rates of overtime generally at all ports are time and a half until 10 p.m., and double time for any time worked between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. The conditions of employment under the new terms are in all major points the same or very similar to those under the 1929 award, the clauses calling for all night work, afternoon labour calls and stricter conditions of work, to which the watersiders took greatest exception, all having been deleted.