GROCERS' DISPUTE

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 85, 10 April 1935, Page 20

GROCERS' DISPUTE

CONCILIATION PROCEEDINGS

ADJOURNED

1 The dispute of the retail grocers in the Wellington and Hawke's Bay districts was heard in conciliation council yesterday. The applicants were the Wellington Master Grocers' Association who desired a slight modification of ihe existing award. The assessors appointed ,on behalf of this section of the employers were Messrs. A. L. Brown, J. F. Turnbull, H. Wardell, of Wellington. Mr. W. Gilbert, Wanganui, represented the Wanganui disThe .respondents consisted of the Wellington Grocers' Assistants' Industrial Union of Workers and the SelfHelp Co-operative Co., Ltd., and a number of other companies of a similar nature, with about 500 master grocers carrying on business throughout the districts mentioned: Mr: W. E. Mountjoy, secretary of the Wellington Employers' Association, acted' as agent for the Chain Stores organisation and other grocers throughout the district. Mr. M. J. Reardon appeared as the representative of the Wellington Master Grocers, and Mr. A. W. Croskery acted in a similar capacity for the assistants' union of workers. Mr. R. Dodkery, of Napier, watched the interests of the Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa Valley master grocers. ■ Some: time was taken up in -the appointment of the assessors, and as the parties were unable to reach an agreement on this point the Commis^ sioner, Mr. Hally, overcame the difficulty by reducing the workers' nominations of four, persons to three and appointing Me. B. Sutherland to act in the general interests of the respondent employers in lieu of the four persons usually nominated. Messrs. R. Canning, W. H. Coombe,. and A. F.: Crisp, who were appointed as assessors for the assistants' and ' managers' unions of workers, opposed the terms of the application. The afternoon was taken up with a general'survey of the various clauses, 25 in number. A large proportion of these items were arranged. The major clauses,' such as wages, proportion of juniors, and other points, were not agreed to: The parties will consider these points further and resume deliberations on May 7.