CONCILIATION BOARD.

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 106, 1 November 1900, Page 6

CONCILIATION BOARD.

PLASTERERS' WAGES. The first sitting of the Conciliation Board since the amendment of the Act was held to-day. All the members of the Board were present — viz., Messrs. J. Oewes (Chairman) H. Field, H. Flockton (employers' representatives), A. Collins, and D. P. Fisher (workers' representatives). The case before the Board is that brought by the Wellington Plasterers' Unioijf,* which asks' among other things — (1) "That a full week shall consist of 45 hours ; (2) that all journeymen plasterers shall bo paid not less than £3 12s for a full week, and not less than Is 7rl for broken .time;' (3) that all boys shall bo leg-ally indentured to learn the trade, for a period of five years, at specified wages, the proportion of apprentices not to exceed one to every three competent workmen ; (4) that two cesses of labour only be recognised, viz., journeymen and apprentices ; (5) that' time- and 'a half be allowed for all overtime from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., double time to be allowed from 8 p.m. to- 8 a.m. if worked continuously, and double time to be allowed for Saturday afternoons, Sunday, and all statutory holidays ; (6) that 3d per hour be paid above the ruling rate ot' pay in Wellington for country work, overtime to be pro rata, fares and time to paid to the workers both ways ; (7) the union to have jurisdiction over a. radius of eight miles from the General Post Office, any member having to work outside a radius of one mile and a half of the Post Office to have his fare paid to and from work or time allowance whilst , travelling ; (8) that .preference of employment be conceded under certain conditions. The following represented the union before the Board — Messrs. J. T. Mantell (President), Henry Kerr tVice-President), and. Robert Burton (Secretary). Seven firms, as employer?, were cited as parties to the reference, viz. — The Wellington Master Builders' Association, Thomas Folcyj Thomas Carmichael, J, and A. Wilson, Edmund Plait, C. T. Emeny, A. H. Fullford, and Thomas Smith. Only Messrs. Foley,. Emeny, Fullford, and Smith attended in answer to the citation. Mr. Kerr, vice-president of the -union, in opening the case 1 for the' workers, said that though he had not 'been long in the union he had been in the plastering trade for 25 years. The workers ,had generally been met very favourably by the master builders, but on the other hand the Builders' and Contractors' Association had not met thdm in that spirit which the workers expected. The majority of the master plasterers -had met the workers fairly well. In the present reference' to the Board the workers were really asking nothing more than had been given in Wellington for some 14 or 15 years, and the standard rate of wage had been recognised at 12s. per day. As much as 15s per day had even been paid in somp instances. The workers' union regretted the necessity to refer' to the Board at all, but unhappily it was forced to this course' because v the employers could not see their way to meet' the workers' demand. Mr. Kerr then traversed the order of reference in detail, and concluding, expressed a' hope that the employers would meet them fairly and settle matters as amicably as possible. Mr. Foley, speaking on behalf of the employers, regretted being forced into the position of having to appear before the Board on such a, reference. He viewed the demand made by the Workers' Union as oiot exactly monstrous, but of such a nature as to be beyond the granting by any employer of labour in the city. The wages, 12s a day, for men in regular employment like the plasterejs, were already out of comparison with the wages awarded by the Arbitration Court to other trades, 1 , as for instance to carpenters, who had to provide a,n expensive kit of tools. He was not an advocate for a reduction of wages, though he could many a time when work was slack have engaged men offering their services for 9s and 10s a day. The employers had always been lenient and fair with the workers. He now thought the minimum wage should be Is 4d an hour. (Left sitting.)