METAL WORKERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 2, 2 July 1938, Page 19

METAL WORKERS

ASSISTANTS' DISPUTE

CONCILIATION COUNCIL

When the proceedings' in the Wellington district metal workers' assistants' dispute resumed in the conciliation council yesterday, before the 1 Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. M. J. Reardon), the question of the types of workers to come under the proposed award caused some discussion.

The employees asked that the award cover engineers', boilermakers', and moulders' assistants, blacksmiths' strikers, machinists, range fitters, welders (other than tradesmen welders' assistants), furnacemen, grille, sash and! casement makers, workers employed at steel pipe works, structural steel workers, including cranemen in foundries and yards where steel construction work is being done, storemen in foundries, plumbers' labourers, lift workers, electric engineers' assistants, refrigerator workers, metal sprayers, enameUers, fettlers, sand blasters, mixers, scrap iron workers, rivet heaters, holders-up, copula furnacemen, and tinsmiths' assistants. The employees' advocate, Mr. F. P. Walsh, said that the men did not agree with the definitions of workers suggested by the employers. They asked the employers to accept the definitions suggested in the men's claim. Mr. T. O. Bishop, employers' advocate, said that the men's definitions were too wide and would result in endl,e"ss confusion and overlapping. 'GENERAL AWARD PREFERABLE. Mr. Bishop appealed to the employees' representatives once again to consider the advantage of coming under a general and comprehensive award instead oi! standing out for a district award. Such an award must be accepted sooner or later, and it woud simplify matters very much if the mea would agree to accept a general award at this juncture instead of postponing it. In Australia the metal workers' assistants had been working for a number of years under a general award; if they could do this in Australia, why could they not do it in New Zealand? The Commissioner: It seems to me, though I may be wrong, that the men are looking at :it from the point of view of £ s. d. Mr. Walsh said he would not be a party to including men who came under other unions. He was concerned only with men not already covered by an award. The representatives of the men finally conferred with regard to the question, and submitted a list of definitions, but as these proved unacceptable to the employers, it was finally agreed that the' employees' representatives should confer w:ith the Engineers' and Boilermakers' Union and endeavour to arrive at an agreement regarding the line of demarcation between the various sets of union members. CLAUSES FOR COURT. Agreement was reached on the majority of the proposals affecting outside work and overtime and also with regard to shifts, with the exception that it wais left to the Court of Arbitration to decide the rate of overtime for men on shifts doing manufacturing work. The parties were unable .to agree on a number of holiday clauses, and these were referred to the Court for decision. It was also decided to ask the Court to fix the rate at which men should be paid for meals when, owing to the circumstances of their work, they are unable to return home. A clause dealing with the introduction of piecework and the payment of a premium bonus is also to be referred to the Court.

Before the adjournment the Commissioner indicated that he would be absent from Wellington probably until Thursday of next week, but stated that it would be in order for the parties to continue the discussions and report to him on his return. The sitting was accordingly adjourned until Monday morning.