CONCILIATION COUNCIL

Evening Star, Issue 17311, 26 March 1920, Page 1

CONCILIATION COUNCIL

- *.- PLUMBERS* DISPUTE. The Conciliation Council {Uv W, H. Hagger presiding) met this morning to resume the hearing of the plumbers' dispute, adjourned from March 5. Messrs J. S. Douglas, J. Christie, and O. S. Jenkins {with Mr A. S. Cookson as agent) were assessors for the employers, and les l rs ,?•• F. Herd, F. E. Harridge, and H. y. Freeman for the union. AY hen the dispute was previously before the council there was considerable uncertainty as to what had transpired in Wellington. The commissioner asked if the employers now had- definite information as to the latest •developments. _ Mr said that the whole question had been before the executive of the Master Plumbers' Federation; and the feelins was that wages should be referred "to the Arbitration Court. Mr Cookson said the raosition had been made difficult by the action of Wellington in not upholding the decision of the Master Plumbers' Federation. Wellington had broken away, and the feeling was that local employers were still bound to adhere to the agreement arrived at some time ago. Mr Douglas pointed out that'whatever the Arbitration Court awarded as a-basic-wage could be afterwards considered in conference with the men, with a view to adiustment. The Commissioner thought that was hardly fair to the Arbitration Court. Mr Cookson said the difficulty arose from the fact that wages we?e being fixed tinder abnormal conditions. The wages embodied in an Arbitration Court award would be hard to reduce. Mr uougla? pointed out that the employers were bound by a Wages Council. Jtach centre could act with the local union and fix the amount of the bonus, but the basic wace should be referred to the Arbitration Court. Mr Harridge said that the situation was peculiar. The federation had nothing to do with the matter, and thev were meeting the emnioyera as a- local" union, iust as was done in \\ellingtbn. A complete agreement had been reached there by the Conciliation Council. 'juie wage agreed on was a flat Tate of 2s 3d' per hour. The employers admitted that the men should get more money, but their attitude seemed to contradict their words. The employers' offer of Is 7id, plus 3id per hour bonus, was no increase, because that was the present ruling Tate. After further discussion the council adjourned until 2 p.m., to enable the assessors to meet in conference with a view to agreement on the wages question.