BRICKLAYERS DEMAND

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 117, 19 May 1914, Page 8

BRICKLAYERS DEMAND

AN ADDITIONAL 7/4 A WEEK LARGE INCREASES ASKED FOR IN .APPRENTICES' WAGES. The hearing of the dispute between the Wellington Bricklayers' Industrial Union of Workers and the Wellington Builders and Contractors' Association, of Employers was commenced before the Conciliation Commissioner (Air. P. Hally) this morning. The assessors were : For the employers, Messrs W. Ferguson, W, H.i Bennett, and Arch. M. Wilson; for the employees, Messrs. A. M'Mahon, W. E. Gibson, H. Anton, and J. Gressier (agent). Mr. A. W. Orenfell appeared on behalf of the employers. The schedule of demands (which it was proposed should be made into a. Dominion award) asked that forty- four hours should constitute a week's work, as against forty-five hours. Extra holidays asked for were Show Day and the anniversary of the birthday of the reigning monarch. Show Day to take theplaco of the King's Birthday in Canterbury and the annual picnic day to take the place of King's Birthday in Auckland. As regards the classes of work, it was askpd that, with the exception of underrate workers, two classes of labour only should be recognised in the trade, viz.. journeymen and apprentices, and none others should be employed in the laying of bricks, terra cotta. or any kind of building blocks other than stone, the clause also to apply to tiling and tuck pointing in plaster work. In place of the present arrangement in regard to under-rate workers, wheroby the inspector fixes the wage to bo paid, it was asked that the executive of the union should fix the amount. The rate of pay demanded for journeymen was Is. 9d per hour, as against Is 7d, paid at present. The following were the demands as regards apprentices' wages i— First year 10s (a» against ss), second 15s (10s), third 20s (15s), fourth £1 15 a (£l)j fifth £2 5s (£1 ss). As far as preference was concerned, it was asked that preference should bo given to any member of an industrial union of bricklayers operating in the Dominion, provided that each worker joined the union within seven days after Btarting work. All non-unionists now enrolled, it was asked, must within seven days be enrolled as members of the union, and, further, that any employer engaging any worker who was not a member of the union should dismiss such employeo if he did not become a unionist within seven days. The proposed overtime clause was that overtime should be paid at the rate of time and a-quarter for the first two hours, after the first two hours time and a-half up to 10 p.m., between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. double time. Further, that time and a-half should be paid on Saturday between noon and 5 p.m., and after 5 p.m. and until 8 a.m. Monday double tim.', double time to be paid on holidays. The counter-proposals by the employers were for a 44-hours' w ( eek, at Is 7d per hour, the rest of their proposals being based on the carpenters' award. It was further asked that suburban work should mean work within a radius of eight miles, instead of ten miles, and country work should mean work beyond a radius of eight miles, in place of ten mileß. Another demand was that on all country work an additional 18s per week should be paid to all bricklayers employed thereon. Mr. A. Loddor (Gear Meat Co. Ltd.) asked that time and a-half be the maximum overtime rate as far as repair work executed by his company was concerned. He explained that two bricklayers were constantly employed, and repair work could only be done as overtime work. The Wellington Gas Company, Ltd., (Mr. Dougall) applied for exemption in regard to repairs to retort and retort settings on the ground that bricklayers were not customarily employed on such work, this having" been recognised in Auckland and Christchurch. In genovul the company objected to the propoocd amendments and specifically to the pro. posed alterations to the wages, hours of work, overtime, and the terms of the preference clause. The company also asked that its Miramar gasworks should be excluded from the scope of the clause dealing with suburban work. _ The Commissioner noted the applications. Discussing the prospects of a Dominion award being niade, Mr. Bennett stated that before this could be done both parties must concur. The Builders' Federa-, tion objected to a Dominion award. Mr. Anton replied that the men intended to meet the employers in the\four centres of the Dominion and endeavour to arrive at a common basis for a Dominion award. It would then ask the Court to make such an award irrespective of what the Federation thought. "I feel certain the Court will , grant our . demands," he added. • - The Council then went into committeeto discuss the demands.