MOTOR MECHANICS

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 262, 1 August 1933, Page 14

MOTOR MECHANICS

Certification Scheme COMPLAINT BY UNION The New Zealand Motor Trade Association’s initiation of a scheme for the certification of motor mechanics and the classification of garages was the subject of a statement issued yesterday by Mr. A. Black, secretary of the Motor Mechanics’ Union. Complaints regarding the scheme were made by a union deputation which waited on the Minister of Labour, Hon. Adam Hamilton, last Thursday, and the’ other aspect was explained by Mr. J. F. Cousins, secretary of the New Zealand Motor Trade Association, in a statement published in “The Dominion” last Saturday. In the statement issued yesterday, Mr. Black says that Mr. Cousins has made no attempt to specify the “misleading statements” which were attributed to the union deputation. Regarding the granting of the association’s official emblem to garages, Mr. Black says the outstanding condition is that the applicant must be a member of the Motor Trade Association, and he adds: “Perhaps some people might construe it as an attempt to force small traders and non-members to join the association.” A request that Mr. Cousins should publish the practical qualifications, technical experience, and examinations passed by members of the board controlling the: scheme and by the examiners, is made by Mr. Black, who says that it. has not yet been stated that all the examiners are employers or employers’ representatives. Mr. Black adds that he considers that the Government should demand an inquiry and either insist on the payment of an extra 2d an hour as set out in the employers’ conditions for certificated mechanics, or compel the return of fees to mechanics who have sat for the examination. Mr. Black sets out his principal objections to the Motor Trade Association scheme as follow: — “The certificate is valueless because the association is an unregistered body. Therefore the holder of a certificate has no legal claim to the extra remuneration. “The object of the association is a selfish one designed to further the interests of its own members. A firm might employ the most efficient motor mechanics, but cannot obtain the ‘emblem’ unless it joins the association. “The New Zealand Motor Trade Association has collected a large sum of money from the mechanics, who were given to understand that if successful they would receive 2d per hour increase. They have not only been deprived of the extra rate, but were informed that the certificate was of no value.”