METAL WORKERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 143, 20 June 1938, Page 11

METAL WORKERS

POSITION OF DISPUTE

The hearing of the metal workers' dispute will be resumed in Wellington shortly. The original application was by the labourers for a new award. This was opposed, but the employers did not forward counter-proposals, on the ground that it was their intention to take steps as soon as possible to secure a comprehensive award on a Dominion basis for all sections of workers employed in the metal trades, and to this end they would file a comprehensive citation. There are thirteen interested trades unions, as the employers wished to include engineers, boilermakers, founders, and the various allied trades, including labourers. The labourers' unions were not agreeable to this proposal, on the ground that as there were only two unions of labourers they felt that under the circumstances they would be swamped by the unions of the trades. This matter was referred to the Court of Arbitration, the reply of which, stated the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. M. J. Reardon) today, considered that under the circumstances the unions' application for a local award should be allowed to proceed. The Court further considered that any other awards covering such workers should be made with a common expiry date, and that on the expiry of the awards joint proceedings should be taken with a view to replacing the several local awards by one award.