DIFFICULT DISPUTE

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 176, 22 April 1937, Page 18

DIFFICULT DISPUTE

Chemists in Conciliation Council

NG AGREEMENT POSSIBLE

“Before you go, I must thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your efforts to reach agreement in what is one of the most difficult disputes to be heard in Conciliation Council,” said Mr. M. J. Reardon, at the conclusion of yesterday's meeting in the council between the New Zealand Federated Shop Assistants’ Industrial Union of Workers and the Chemists’ Service Guild of New Zealand and other employers.

“The dispute was scheduled to occupy three days,” said Mr. Reardon, “but it seems that another meeting would not make any further progress, and this is quite understandable because of the nature of the industry. It is natural that the workers should desire to participate in the benefits enjoyed by other industries, but it is a difficult problem for the employers to give them these benefits. 11 now remains for us to submit our partial settlement to the Arbitration Court and see who gets the better of the argument.”

Tlie employers suggested a scale of wages higher than those given in the counter-claims, on the understanding that it was without prejudice. The suggested rates were: —Registered assistants, £5/12/6; qualified assistants, £5/2/6; unqualified assistants, £4/10/6; second-,vear improvers, £3/10/-; firstyea r improvers, £3. On the same understanding, the employers offered a fortnight’s holiday a year, this being bound up with tlie provision that a worker had to be employed for six months before he was entitled to holidays on a pro rata basis on the termination of his employment. Neither of these offers was acceptable to, the workers, and it was agreed to leave the matters for the court to settle.