LAUNDRY WORK

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 200, 21 May 1936, Page 6

LAUNDRY WORK

Demands of Wellington Employees CONCILIATION HEARING ■•(.lnc salient point lias been entirely overlooked —namely. the effect Increased costs in ■•ill branches of-this trade must inevitably have on the prosperity of both employer and employee.'’ said Mr. A. W. Nisbet, in dealing with the demands of employees in the Wellington Lauudr,viiien, Dyers and Dry Cleaners’ Union which were considered before the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. S. Ritchie) at Wellington yesterday. Mr. Nisbet, who is secretary of the 'Wellington Manufacturers’ Association, represented the employers. Mr F. Cornwell, secretary of the union, appeared on Hie workers’ behalf. Messrs. J. W. Penman, F. L. Paul and A. Anderson were assessors for file employers, and Mesdames E. Harrison and D. Turnbull and Mr. A. Heppiestoue for the employees. A 40-hour week and increased wages all round were asked for by the employees. The proceedings had particular interest for 'Wellington manufacturers in that they are the first to be conducted under the new arrangements the Wellington Manufacturers’ Association lias made for industrial disputes in whieh its members are cited. In the past any association members who were interested in what is termed “LU. and A. service” (Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act>), had to lie members of the Wellington Employers' Association. With Hie reintToduetion of the T-C. and A. Act and the declared intention of the Governmenti to introduce at an early stage au Industrial Efficiency Bill lit which it would ire necessary to group manufacturers according to their trade groups, the 'Wellington Manufacturers’ Association decided the time had arrived to handle Oheir own industrial disputes. This, it. was explained to “The Dominion,” is not an action in any way antagonistic to the Employers’ Association, which embraces a wide range of members who, it is felt, apart from wages matters, have nothing in common with manufacturers. At the outset, Mr. Cornwell said

there had been some mention of the number of Chinese engaged in the industry. On the employees’ side they were prepared to do what they could to get these Chinese added. Mr. Nisbet said the position in the past had been that Chinese had evaded the Factories Act. protesting they were not employers. He understood tliat under legislation being introduced in Parliament they would now be brought under tiie Factories Act.. The commissioner said they should bo. lie thought it was clearly understood the Government was going to make a serious effort to bring in ttiese “back-yarders.” Employers could not be exjieeted to coniiiete witli Chinese working all hours of Hie day and night, said Mr. Nisbet. Both sides were agreed I hat steps would be taken to bring Chinese laundrymen under the Act. Time for New Award. Presenting the claims, Mr. Cornwell submitted they were fair and just in tiie light of present conditions. The last award was in 1919 and none bad operated after its expiry some 15 years ago. It was felt file time had come for a new award. The conditions of the work were strenuous and arduous. ’Plie workers had to contend with heat and in some eases there were instances of girls fainting. Mr. Nisbet said that for the employer to be prosperous it was necessary for him to so conduct his business that ho made a reasonable profit for himself or shareholders; in other words for those who supplied the capital without which industry could not be conducted.

For the employee, it: was not only desirable flint ho or sbo get reasonable working conditions but that the employer obtain sufficient patronage from the’ general public to enable him to offer employment to the worker. ‘‘Obviously short hours and high wages are of little use to the worker without a job,” said Mr. Nisbet. If the cost of laundry work were forced up beyond a certain point, there could be only one result—namely, that more laundry work would be done, in the homes and less in the factories. This meant in turn less employment for workers, said Mr. Nisbet. In the dyeing trade many processes could not be either unduly prolonged, hurried or interrupted and every available hour of daylight was needed. A break from Friday night to Monday would reduce the practical working week to about four days and a half, Mr. Nisbet stated. In the ease of laundries, what was to lie the position of hospitals, institutions, hotels and ships deprived of a most, essential service from Friday night to Monday morning? ‘

In laundry service, labour accounted for by far the major part of the cost so that any increase in labour costs either by way of shorter hours or increased wages would inevitably react to the detriment of both employee find employer.

"We maintain it is absolutely impracticable to work laundries and dye works on a 40-hour, five-day week for the reason they are public utilities from which the public expects and demands service at a reasonable cost and at reasonable times. Such service cannot be given in a 40-hour, five-day week,” said Mr. Nisbet. Tie concluded that, assuming tho Factories Amendment Bill became law in its present form, it was his union’s intention to apply to the Arbitration Court for an extension o£ the hours of work in laundries from 40 to 44. Details of Proposals. Tho workers’ proposals with the counter-proposals of the employers in parentheses were: — . Forty-hour week, Monday to Friday ,(44-hour, five and a half-day week). AVages: Male laundry workers, under 17 30/- (Factories Act rates); 17 to 19 £2, 19 to 21, £2/15/- (17 to 21, grouped, £2/4/-); over 21, £4/10/- (basic wage); first washerwoman, £5 (£4/8/-); leading packer and sorter, £4/15/-, assistant, £4/5/-; Starcher, £4/10/- (opposed). Dyers and dry-cleaners: Dyer, £6 (£5/10/-) 1 iirst-year apprentice, 30/-, with annual increases of 10/- (22/-, with annual increases of 10/-); spotters, £2 ]5/. (Factories Act rates); scourers under 21, £2/5/-, thereafter £4/10/(opposed); dry-cleaners, including carpets, £5/10/- (£4/8/-); assistant dryeleanerS, under 17, 30/-, 17 to 19 £2, .19 to 21, £3, thereafter £5/10/- (Factories Act rates). Female workers: Mangle department, leading feeder, £2/10/-, leading hand £2 12/-, girls under 18, beginners, first six months 22/0, second six months 30/-, third six months 35/-, thereafter 45/-; beginners over 18, first six. months 27/b, second six months 35/-, thereafter 40/(Facforv Act rates); plain ironers, loading hand £2/15/-. others, first six months, beginners, 27/6, Qieeotid six months 37/6, after twelve months 45/-; finery ironers, leading band £2/1 o/-, others £2/7/6 (ironers, leading hand £2/4/-; others, Factories Act rates). Markers, sorters and packers, and depot staff: Fh’at six months 32/0, Second six months 45/-. from one yeabto two years £2/10/-, thereafter £2/15/-, part-time packers £2/10/- (depot staff opposed, others Factories Act rates); shirt and collar machinists, leading hand £3/5/-, first six months. 27/0, second six months 42/0, thereafter £2 15/- (Factories Act rates); body ironers, first six months 32/0, thereafter 45/(Factorics Act rates) ; starchers, first six months .“>2/0, second six months £2, thereafter £2/15/- (opposed) ; waslterwottten, per day J2/0, per week £2/15/(Factories Act rates). Overtime: Over 40 hours, first two hours time and a half, thereafter double time, double time ralesi to start from 7.30 p.m., and any part of an hour worked to count as one hour overtime (time and a half in excess of 44, providing that up to half an hour shall be deemed half an hour’s overtime, and exceeding half an hour one hour). Holidays: Double time for work on Saturdays, Sundays, King s Birthday, Anniversary Day, New Year’s Da}’, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Auzac Day; in addition to these holidays a fortinght’s annual leave on full pay (Saturday and Anniversary Day deleted and the annual holiday struck out). The employers suggested double time for Sundays, Good Friday, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and t ime and a half for Easter Saturday, Easter Monday, King’s Birthday, Anzac Day, and Boxing Day. Foremen and forewomen: Ten shillings a week extra (agreed to). Casual workers: One-third more than tiie weekly rates (opposed). Agreement was reached on a number of clauses. These included the payment. of a third more than the weekly rates to casual workers, preference to unionists clause, and a number of general conditions. It was also agreed the term of the proposed award be one year, and that it be limited to an area within 25 miles of the General Post Office, Wellington.