AGREEMENT REACHED

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 191, 11 May 1938, Page 15

AGREEMENT REACHED

New Award For Saddlers And Canvas Workers CONCILIATION COUNCIL Complete agreement on all clauses of a proposed new award for the saddlers and canvas workers of the Northern, Taranaki, Wellington and Otago and Southland industrial districts was reached in Conciliation Council at Wellington yesterday. The conciliation commissioner, Mr. M. J. Reardon, presided. Dunedin, which has not previously been governed by an industrial agreement, is included in the scope of the new award, which is to last a year, coining into force on May 18. The assessors for the applicants were Messrs. G. It. Gwilliam (Auckland). C. E. Salter (Auckland), D. McEadgen (Wellington), J. Terrill (Christchurch), B. L. Birt (Dunedin). Mr. J. Tucker (Wellington) 'was the advocate.

For the employers the assessors w’ere Messrs. It. S. Wilson (Wellington), H. J, Falkner (Palmerston North), H. Barron (Dunedin), R. Duncan (Dunedin), W. Newsham (Auckland), A. H. Crawford (Auckland). The advocate for the employers was Mr. W. J. Mountjoy. (Wellington). The Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand Ltd., the Wellington Patent Slip Co., and other shipping companies were struck out of the list of companies governed by the award to allow a new dispute to be filed covering the wol'kers in shipping companies.

The workers were granted a 40-hour week, and after considerable discussion it was agreed to fix wages ranging from 17/6 a week to 2/9 an hour for sailmakers and 2/8 an hour for tent and cover makers, for males; for females, 15/- to £2/7/6 a week. The employers’ proposal to pay overtime at the rate of time and a half for the first four hours and double time thereafter, or 1/6 an hour, whichever was the greater, was accepted. It was also agreed to pay double rates for all work done on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, Labour Day, January 2 and the King’s Birthday, and to pay 1/6 tea money to employees working overtime after 6 p.m. unless they had been notified on the previous working day that they would be required to work overtime. Ou the completion of 12 months’ service workers are to be granted annual holidays on full pay for the days between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

It was agreed not to allow female workers to handle canvas exceeding 401 b. in weight.