CANVAS WORKERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 145, 22 June 1938, Page 13

CANVAS WORKERS

CLAIM FOR AWARD

INCREASES ASKED

A dispute to secure an- award governing the conditons of employment for canvas workers for the shipping trade of New Zealand 'vas continued in conciliation council this morning. The workers claimed increased wages and more holidays. No agreement was reached on these points during the preliminary discussions. The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. M. J. Reardon) presided. The applicant workers were represented by Messrs. C. E. Salter (Auckland), L. Gilby, D. McFadgen, and J. Tucker (Wellington), and the employers, who presented counter-proposals, by Messrs. G. G. McFarlane, D. Jamieson, K. A. Belford, and Captain T. H. Bowling (all of Wellington). The applicants asked that the award should apply to sail-makers, sail-repair-ers, canvas workers, riggers, wire-rope splicers, and other workers doing work related to canvas work and rigging. The counter-proposals asked for application to those substantially engaged in the manufacturing or repairing of sails, tarpaulins, and on canvas work. The following were the claims made under the main clauses of the proposed award, the counter-claims being given in parentheses:— Hours of Work.—Forty per week from Monday to Friday, with Saturday work from 8 a.m. to noon in certain limited circumstances (44 hours and a five and a half day week). Wages. — Journeymen, including heavy canvas machinists, sailmakers, and riggers, 3s an hour (sailmakers 2s 9d, other journeymen 2s 8d). Journeywomen, £3 a week ( —). Overtime.—Time and a half for the first three hours, then double time (time and a half for the first four hours, then double time). The applicants asked for Anniversary Day and January 2, and one week's annual leave in addition to the statutory holidays offered by the employers. The workers also asked for dirt mondy at 3s a day or part of a day : on repair work, double time for working in temperatures above 100 degrees, 3s a day for boatswain-chair work at 40 feet or above, and that female workers should not handle canvas of more than Boz to the square yard or sails exceeding 300 square feet in area. The employers objected to the inclusion of riggers on the ground that they were already covered by other awards. It would suit the employers if the unions could agree to which union the workers should belong, one of the employers' assessors said. "I don't think there is any hope of such an amicable settlement while there is 6d a week concerned," said Mr. Tucker. "There is ah old Biblical" saying, 'Where the. carrion is the eagles gather.'" It. was agreed that journeywomen and female machinists should be struck out as none was employed, but that provision should be made for apprentices. It was agreed that dirt and height money should be at the rate of Is 6d a day, and that heat pay should be as in the engineers' award.