DAIRY WORKERS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 149, 25 June 1915, Page 4

DAIRY WORKERS

BEFORE CONCILIATION COUNCIL. The . Conciliation Council was engaged yesterday with the dairy employees' dispute. The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. P Hally) presided, and the assessors were: — For the union: Messrs. H. Vaney.. C. Meidema, and F. Killick ; for the employers : Massrs. John Bentley, Henry Bodley,' and S. G. Cole. Mr. \V. A. Gienfell appeared as agent for the Milk Vendors' Association and Mr. E. Kennedy for the union. The union demands were for a, working week of 50 hours for drivers and 52 for other workers, eight hours on five days and five hours on Sundays and Wednesdays ; work to commence not earlier than 4 a.m. and the minimum wage to be not less than £3 a week. Christmas Day, Boxing .Day. New Year's Day, Easter Monday, Good Friday, King's Birthday, Anniversary Day, and Labour Day shall be worked as Sundays. Overtime shall be at the rate of time and a half for the first two hours and double time thereafter. Two weeks' holiday shall bo allowed on full pay in each year. Learners may be employed for the first week at N 5s per day and thereafter at ordinary rates. Two sets of counter-proposals were filed on behalf of the employers. The Milk Vendors' Association proposed that the hours be 56 per week, with no fixed starting hour, not more than eight hours to be worked in any one day, except on bill day, when ten hours may be worked. The minimum rate of Wages shall be £2 10s per week, married men to be allowed one quart of milk daily. Learners shall be paid half ordinary wages ; ■•assistants to be allowed one to every two men, delivering and one to every three men in factory or dairy. One week's holiday shall be 'allowed in every year, but no holiday allowance shall be made if a worker leaves of his own accord before the completion of twelve months' service. Other employers proposed a- working week of fifty horns for drivers and fiftytwo for other workers,' work to commence not earlier than 3 a.m. The minimum rate of wages shall be £2 10s per week, learners to be paid not less than 5s pelday for the first week, afterwards ordinary wages. One week's holiday on full pay was proposed. Employers selling the milk of their own cows shall not come within the scope of the award. Any driver may have, the assistance of one boy. who shall be paid not less than 6d per hour and be employed for not more than three hours per' day, not later than 8 a.m. After a .brief discussion,* the Council went into committee. s