THE PRINTING TRADE

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 89, 12 October 1920, Page 8

THE PRINTING TRADE

MASTER PRINTERS' REPLY TO UNION ALLEGATIONS

• Mr. P. Pirani, secretary of tie Wellington Master Printers' Association, has made the following reply to the union'p allegations and protests against the delay in the operation of the last award : —

"Apropos of the motions passed by the Wellington Typographical' Association on Saturday .night, allow me to give the public an explanation of the position taken up by my* association in reference to the new. award. It is unfortunate that the. awards have been held up by' the Government Department for reasons of which I know nothing, except what has been volunteered to me by one of the workers' most trusted representatives; and yet I can have no sympathy with the workers in the matter; as the hold-up is due to an attempt to introduce a new provision into the preference clause without specially directing the attention of the Court to it—and a provision quite foreign to an arbitration award, and which many of the workers themselves object to. , Indeed, we were assured at the conference that there, was nothing new in the preference clause. It.is only fair to'the employers to state that they have, as usual, more than kept faith with the workers in every sense. They need not have paid more than the old rate of wages until the decision of J,he Court on 13th September, yet they, voluntarily increased the pay "defined hi the old awai-ds by from £1 5s to £2 a week -from 2nd April, in anticipation of the award. Probablyj the workers will retort that the amount would, anyhow, have had to be given in back pay; but against that philosophic argument let me point out that the same reason should prevent the workers concerned making untenable demands until the Court has settled, the knotty points at issue. With the exception of the linotype operators, every section of the trade has been paid within Is 3d and- 3s 9d of the amount awarded by the Court. .

"In regard to the allegation of a 'conspiracy' to defeat the'award, the secretary of the Typographical* Association was supplied with a ropy of the letter sent to the Court for an interpretation of the points at issue, and when the reply is received tho employers will naturally comply,., with the decision given. Until then they hayo 1 a perfect right to wait. It' is no fault of the employers that the award has not been circulated so that a complete understanding could be arrived at—as I have pointed out, it is entirely due to the introduction by the workers of a provision considered by those in authority contrary to the law. The employers are quite aware that their own interests demand an honourable understanding with their employees, and the absence of friction in tbX trade h sufficient guarantee that they have always observed that policy. Such an attitude as that shown in the motions referred to is not likely to ipersuade the employers in future to act as promptly anH considerately as they have in. the present case, and to voluntarily take steps to help those upon whom they think the cost oi living presses unduly; but I do hope that the motions passed do not reflect the matured opiniens of the majority of .the workers in the trade."'