ELECTRICAL WORKERS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 67, 21 March 1933, Page 4

ELECTRICAL WORKERS

SCOPE OF AWARD

An application was made to, the Arbitration Court yesterday afternoon by Mr. H. E. Swindell, secretary of the Electrical Workers' Union, to have the Wellington Fire Board made a party to the electrical workers' district award. ■Mr. W. J. Mountjoy appeared for the Fire Board.

It was stated by Mr. Swindell that the Fire Board employed an electrician. The board, he said, was granted exemption at a previous sitting of the Court on the- understanding that the electrician would not do any electrical work. The employee referred to was registered as an electrician in November, 1932, and. in order to be registered he must-prove that he bad been engaged for three years in doing electrical work. The. officer referred to specialised in a certain class of electrical work.

The superintendent of the Wellington Fire Brigade (Mr. C. A. Woolley) gave evidence that the: officer referred to specialised in a particular class of electrical work in connection with fire alarms.

The station officer whose special duty it is to supervise the working of the fire alarms stated that he held a limited electrical licence. His work was about 5 per cent, electrical and 95 per cent, mechanical.

The Court exempted the .--Fire Board from the award. ■ \

Mr. 'G. McKay, metal worker, 'Herbert Street, applied for exemption from the award on;the ground-that'his firm rlia very little 'electrical work? only about 3 per cent, of the time of the workers was taken up with' electrical work. :■:■■

, Mr. Swindell.1 said that registration could 6nly.be granted on proof that tho men worked for several _:years. His 'Honour said that wag a matter .between the Eegistration Board" and tho : workers. The. point which the Court had to consider was:.was it a proper thing to'make a firm party to an award when certain employees were only engaged' for .3. per cent, of their time in-electrical work? ■ •

-Mr. -Swindell: They must be registered. . .

His Honour: :It is only' limited registration. ■ : ' .-■■••■

The firm was exempted from the award. • '. ,