MOTORMAN OR OILER?

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 297, 12 September 1938, Page 11

MOTORMAN OR OILER?

Electric Dredge Worker

A. man employed as an oiler on tin electric dredge and required to operate switches on the motors cannot, be classified as a motorman in terms of the AVestland gold dredges and alluvial goldmines employees’ award, according to a Court, of Arbitration judgment issued by Air. Justice O’Regan. The case arose as a result of the action by the inspector of awards, Greymouth, for the recovery of a penalty for an alleged breach of the award. Under the award, wages for motormen are set down at 2/3 an hour and for stackermen and greasers 2/14, but unfortunately, states the judgment, the award contains no definitions of the terms used to describe the classes of workers covered. The court, therefore, was obliged to look for an answer in the custom prevailing in the district with regard to the employment. of workers in the industry.

“The worker concerned,” states the judgment, “was employed by the defendant company and accepted employment as an ‘oiler,’ and we gather from the ease stated that on dredges on which electricity is not. the motive power, men in charge of the lubricating work and of the stacker and screens are customarily termed ‘greasers or stackermen,’ whereas men employed on similar work on electric dredges are customarily termed ‘oilers.’ “The award contains no reference to ‘oilers.’ but. it is admitted that the term, ’greaser,’ is synonymous with the term, ‘oiler,’ and that the respective duties of these workers are similar in nature, the main difference being that, in the case of oilers, the machinery is started and stopped by- means of switches in lieu of the levers used by greasers on Diesel or steam-driven dredges.”