BUILDING DISPUTE

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 225, 21 June 1939, Page 11

BUILDING DISPUTE

More Satisfactory Outlook NEGOTIATION PLAN Conditional On Men Resuming Work The dispute in the building trades in Wellington after the stoppage of work by carpenters and builders’ labourers on the Karori housing contracts reached a stage satisfactory to both sides yesterday after negotiations between the unions concerned and the Master Builders’ Federation. In reply to a request from the unions, the master builders agreed to meet the workers’ representatives in conference, if desired, if the request were renewed after work had been resumed on all jobs. The master builders are also advising employers in the building industry and allied trades in Wellington to grant their men every facility to attend the stop-work meeting to be held in the Opera House at 10 o’clock this morning. The Fletcher Construction Company, which threatened to lock out men who .attended the meeting, has withdrawn This threat. In a written statement to the Carpenters and Joiners’ Union. Mr. James Fletcher explains his company’s attitude and draws attention to the’dntimation given by it to the union that the company would, within a few weeks, have completed a scheme devised to meet the position regarding payment for wet days and holidays, not only to carpenters, but to all unskilled and skilled operatives in the building industry. In a statement commenting on the master builders’ decision, the respective union secretaries concerned (Messrs. J. Moulton and P. M. Butler) said: “We are pleased with the response to our request and we will make the recommendation to the men at the meeting tomorrow morning and leave it to them to decide.” As a conference between the organizations concerned under the disputes clause constitutes the normal procedure under the I.C. and A. Act, and as this was the desire expressed in the resolution of the workers carried at last Saturday’s meeting, it is felt that the natural procedure at this morning’s meeting will be for the men to receive an official report from their appointed representatives, and for them then to be advised to return to work in accordance with the request of the employers. A committee will also be appointed to represent the men in the negotiations. CONTRIBUTORY SCHEME Mr. Fletcher On Company’s Attitude The following letter was sent yesterday to Mr. J. Moulton, secretary of the Wellington Carpenters and Joiners’ Union, by Mr. James Fletcher:— Dear Sir,—The statement appearing in this morning's Press that the dispute which has arisen can only be handled through, the Builders’ Association and not through our firm as an individual firm, is quite satisfactory to us. At the same time, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that the preliminary conference which you arranged at the Karori housing scheme was not arranged through the Builders’ Association, but was arranged direct with -our office. Again, your request that I keep myself available to discuss the matter under dispute with the men at the Thursday meeting proved that you were prepared to negotiate with us. The fact, also, that your office rang at 5 o’clock to state that the decision of the Karori men was to remain on strike till a meeting had been held on Saturday morning to consider the whole question also clearly showed that at that stage you were prepared to negotiate with us. We have been approached by several deputations of our men asking that they be given the right to attend the meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) in the Opera House, and we have agreed to this request, and have advised all men that the factories and jobs Will be closed down tomorrow (Wednesday) to permit of all our employees attending. As is obvious from the reports from Auckland, Dunedin, and Christchurch, the dispute is not one of gumboots and working In wet places, but is a

disagreement with the new award conditions. We will be pleased if you will advise the men at the meeting on Wednesday that the writer advised you on Thursday last that the fact that one section of the members of the Carpenters’ Union are paid for statutory holidays and another not, is, in our opinion, grossly unfair. You will recollect that the writer advised you on Thursday that within three weeks to a month we would have completed a suggested contributory scheme for the payment of wet days and holidays, not only to carpenters but to all unskilled and skilled operatives in the building industry. You were advised that this scheme would be first submitted to the employers in the various trades operating in the building industry, and would then be submitted for tiie consideration of the employees through the various union secretaries. You were also advised that if agreement could be arrived at, it would be recommended to the Minister of Labour, Mr. Webb, to pass the necessary legislation giving effect to these proposals or other agreed proposals. We feel sure that if the men employed in the building industry today had a definite knowledge that such a scheme was being prepared, and that the scheme was being prepared by the employers, the present trouble would not have arisen. The statement from the union secretaries that the secretary of the Builders’ Federation has stated that he would communicate with them on the question of reopening negotiations is just not correct. Negotiations have never been opened with the Builders’ Federation, but the unions resorted to direct action. However, we wish to state that we are only too pleased to negotiate through the Builders’ Federation, and this information will be passed on to you by Mr. Bishop, acting for the Builders’ Federation. MEETING OF KARORI MEN A meeting of the Karori men, numbering about 150, was held at the Trades Hall yesterday morning. It was stated later that the men had reaffirmed their decision to report on their position to today’s meeting. DUNEDIN COMMENT By Telegraph—Press Association. DUNEDIN, June 20. “Though the hourly rate may appear high, the average carpenter earns less than a man working in a store on a weekly wage,” stated the secretary of the Dunedin Carpenters’ Union, Mr. Ross, when intimating that there was no present or anticipated trouble at Dunedin. He said that the Wellington trouble arose over wet jobs and lost time. At the exhibition, he said, bulldozers had been working and the ground was a quagmire after rain. The Karori job was also very wet. In Wellington some builders were paying 3/- to 3/3 an hour, said Mr. Ross, but men brought from Australia got only 2/9| on the housing and exhibition jobs.