WORK IN WOOLLEN MILLS

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 153, 25 March 1938, Page 5

WORK IN WOOLLEN MILLS

Application For New Award CASE FOR THE EMPLOYERS COMMENCED Evidence supporting the workers’ claims for a new Dominion award to cover wages and conditions of employment in New Zealand woollen mills and hosiery factories was concluded in the Court of Arbitration at Wellington yesterday, and the case for the employers was begun. The employers emphasised that as trade was falling off the Industry could not stand paying increased wages. Mr. Justice O’Regan presided, with his associates Mr. W. Cecil Prime and Mr. A. L. Monteith. Mr. A. 8. Cookson and Mr. James Evans appeared for the employers, and Mr. W. T. Young and Mr. W. tV. Batchelor for the employees. William Thomas Young, advocate for the workers, and secretary of the Wellington district union, iu his evidence said that to his knowledge there were workers who had been employed at the lowest grade of wage under the schedule of the award and in two or three weeks’ time had been put on to do higher-grade work carrying with it under the award higher pay, but the lower grade of pay had been continued. From information he had from other places it would appear that matters of this character were much worse and greater than they were in the Wellington area. "I think it is highly essential,” he said, “in the interests of the employers themselves to guard against unfair competition among them, as well as In the interests of the workers that each classification we have specified should be clearly stated in the award, whether grouped or not, and the wages payable set against it.”

Mr. Cookson pointed out that, the employers did not recognise some of the classes of work in the employees’ classification. He contended that the employers were being denied the right to classify their employees. Mr. Young said that what the employees asked was that when a change in classification was made necessitating a change in the rate of pay the union should be notified. Mr. Cookson contended that there was no justification for Mr. Young making the sweeping statements he had against employers when he had produced only two isolated cases. Mr. Young: You wouldn't be satisfied if I produced 50. This evidence concluded the workers’ case. Statements Refuted, Before presenting the employers’ submissions in the dispute, Mr. Cookson refuted several of Mr. Young’s statements accusing the employers of unfairness and evasion of the award. Mr. Young had said that woolleu mill workers were the worst paid in the industrial field, and had made it appear that while other workers had received increases in wages since 1928 woollen mill workers’ wages remained stationary, he said.

He then quoted from a list of figures setting out the percentage of increases in wages woollen mill employees bad received betweene 1914 and the end of 1928. Adult females had received an 80 per cent, increase, he said; • woolsorters, 100; tuners, 78.57; warpers, 78.57; weavers. 108.33; spinners, 100; scourers, chain-minders, assistant combers, hea'd pressers, 104.44; general hands, 95.55 per cent. “These figures indicate that the workers have not been so hardly treated as they make out,” he said.

Mr. Evans, supporting Mr. Cookson, said that the past year had been a prosperous one, but the position to-day was very different. No mill wished to dismiss its workers unless for some good reason, but to-day there was a distinc. scarcity of orders. There had been excessive importations, and it appeared that retailers were over-stocked, both of which facts accounted in some way for the lack of orders. The position was difficult at the moment, and the outlook for the future was not as bright as it had been. Their main objective, even at the expense of the shareholders, he continued, was to keep their ■. workers employed. The success of the woollen industry meant a great deal to the workers hi other factories which manufactured from the materials made in woollen mills. Mr. Batchelor said, that Mr. Evans had told the court the same thing a year ago in conciliation council; but perhaps now he would not be able to strengthen his argument. He had read that Mr. Adam Hamilton had predicted a change of Government. “Perhaps he is afraid of this other Government,’’ he said. His Honour: You are entitled to have your joke. Mr. Young: I think the idea of another Government is a joke. Mr. Batchelor: Too right, it is. Obstacle to Settlement.

“I wish at. the outset to say that the greatest obstacle to a settlement being reached in Conciliation Council was presented by the complete departure by the workers’ organisation in the preparation of its claims from the recognised industrial conditions which have prevailed without material alteration since the industry was first covered by an award,” said Mr. Cookson, referring to his submissions. “The provisions in respect of hours and holidays are necessarily changed to conform to the amended legislation but apart from this there is no single clause of the claims which corresponds with the award now in operation. It is admitted that a branch of the industry not previously provid ed for —that-of hosiery factories not carried on in conjunction with a woollen mill—is now to be included, but that is surely not II sulHcient reu.-ou for changing the whole tenor of the award. Had there been substantial changes in types of machinery and processing methods there would have been some justification for the radical and revolutionary changes in the award which the workers now ask for. “But I will say without fear of contradiction that in the case of at least 90 per cent, of the workers who wjjl be affected by this award, tiie industry is carried On in exactly the same way as when the first award was made Whatever the nature of the finished article may be the raw wool must go through tTTe same series of processes and be handled by the same class of machinery as has been employed for a much longer period than is covered by awards in New Zealand. We therefore regard many of the claims put forward a s quite unreasonable and unwarranted.”

The practice in past awards had been to group adult male workers iu classes graded according to the degree of skill required for the work they were called upon to perform. He strongly emphasised the fact that this grouping always had lieen decided by agreement between the parties themselves. While on occasions it Had been ueeessary for the

court to settle the rates of wages, the question of classification never had been referred to it. Trade Slackening Off. The position of the industry to-day was that it was quite unable to bear any increased labour cost. The experience of the majority of the mills and factories was that trade was slackening off, forward orders were not being booked in anything like the normal quantity, and the outlook for the immediate future of the industry was anything but bright. That this position was recognised by the Government was evidenced by the fact that it bad recently made tariff adjustments designed to foster and protect the textile and hosiery industries. The benefits which might be expected to have accrued from this adjustment would be entirely nullified if any increase in wages was granted by the court. The capacity of the industry to continue to find employment for the very large number of workers who relied on it for their means of livelihood depended entirely on its ability to produce its goods at a price which would permit them to be sold in competition with importations, and the menace of that form of competition was continually becoming more serious. It was strongly urged that in deciding the rates of wages which the industry was to pay in future the fullest consideration should be given by the court to that important factor. Proposed Classifications.

To extend further the existing class! fieations would, Mr. Cookson submitted, lead only to confusion and dissatisfaction among the workers themselves. He strongly urged that the present wage rates should be adhered to. These were, for adult male workers in textile mills: (a) Wool-sorters, weavers (band-loom), warpers, woollen spinners. assistant carders and timers, 2/4J an hour: (b) wool-scourer, chain-mind-ers, assistant combers, head pressers, 2/1 7-8; (e) all other workers coming within the scope of the award. 2/OJ. He said also that the parties were unable to agree on the classification of workers in hosiery mills, and the employers submitted, there being no previous award, that the following schedule fully covered the requirements of adult male workers in those factories: (a) Hosiery mechanics, 2/4 l-Bd. an hour; (b) full fashioned footer and legger operators. 2/1 7-8; (c) hosiery scourers, dyehouse assistants, and all other adult male workers, 2/03. After some evidence for the employers’ side was heard the court adjourned until 10 o’clock this morning.