MUST GIVE WAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 78, 29 September 1938, Page 11

MUST GIVE WAY

IF OTHERS AGREE

THEATRE WORKERS' DISPUTE

A warning that it was not much usej the dispute proceeding if one assessor were to refuse to sign the documents when an agreement was reached was given by the Conciliation Commissioner, Mr. M. J. Reardon, today, during argument on the claims of front-of-house .(theatres) employees for a new award. ' ' The Commissioner's remarks arose from dissensions by Mr. A. T. Quealy (Auckland), workers' assessor, from' agreements reached by the other assessors. Mr. Quealy took his stand on the argument that better conditions obtained in the proposed Auckland award than were being sought.

The Commissioner said that Auckland must be prepared to make certain sacrifices where their conditions did not apply in the other four districts concerned.

When the question of inclusion of boxing and wrestling bodies was under discussion the union assessors said their side wanted a demarcation of fixtures held indoors and outdoors. They wished indoor fixtures to be included, as they were at present. Mr. W. J. Mountjoy said the employers desired an award to cover only the industry. The Commissioner pointed out that these bodies had raised continual objections to inclusion. Mr. Mountjoy said the employees of sports'bodies were largely casuals and he suggested that a separate award for them be sought. Replying to a question by the Comj mission er, Mr. Mountjoy said there would be no difficulty in obtaining a separate award for sports bodies. HONORARY EMPLOYEES. A further difficulty, said the Commissioner, was that many .employees of sports bodies were honorary. Mr. Quealy stated that this position was being investigated by the Labour Department in Auckland. Mr. G. H. Saunders (employers' assessor, New. Plymouth) stated that when a theatre was let to a sporting body, the theatre employees, who were chiefly females, would not be allowed to work at the sports fixtures. The theatres did riot wish to be put on the same basis as sporting bodies. When Mr. A. Tongue (workers' assessor, Christchurch) pointed out that the inclusion of boxing and wrestling had been agreed' to at previous hearings, Mr. Mountjoy said that the subsequent citing of additional sports bodies, such as racing clubs, had complicated the position. i

The union assessors agreed to the deletion of boxing and wrestling associations, with the exception of Mr. Quealy, who objected on behalf of the Northern Industrial District. The clause was passed over.

bProgress was made on minor clauses this morning. Yesterday the following clauses regarding hours of work were agreed to:—

"Employers shall be at liberty to fix the weekly hours of work for their respective employees according to the exigencies of the particular theatre which shall not exceed 36 hours in the case bf ticket-takers, doorkeepers, ushers, and other theatre attendants (other than caretakers and cleaners), and in the case of ticket-selling 32 hours a week. In no case shall more than six hours be worked in any one day without payment of overtime.

"A worker shall not be called upon to work less than two hours in connection with any one performance."