ARBITRATION COURT

Evening Star, Issue 17484, 15 October 1920, Page 4

ARBITRATION COURT

Fourth Day.—Friday.

'The Arbitration Court resumed their sitting this morning, His Honor Mr Justice btnnger presiding. DRESSMAKERS AND MILLINERS. This was an application for a bonus for the Otago and Southland dressmakers and milliners' award.

Mr A. S. Cookson appeared for the employers, and Mr J. T~ Paul for the union.

Mr Cookeon said the application was for ass liomis for journeywomen. While the employers were agreeable to pay a bonus of 3s. they did riot think it should be retrospective. Mr Paul said there were four awards governing the clothing trade, two covering the wholesale branch and two the move highly skilled section. The present application was in wspecL to. one of the latter, and was for the pnnio.se of putting the dressmakers ;! ikl milliners on the "same footing as tho short tailoresses. The union had been under the impression that tliey would be debarred from applying for the bonus, because the award had not been in operation for eix months, this being the reason they did not apply at- the last sitting of the Court. It" was hoped the workers would not suffer unduly by the lateness of. tho application. If the Court decided upon 3s, then it should be dated hack to some previous date : but if it wore 5k they did not press that it.be retrospective.

The President intimated that tho Court would look into the matter. STOREMEN'S DISPUTE.

A partial agreement wag made in this case by the Conciliation Council, the chief clauses which had not been agreed to being the?" dealing with wages and hours of work.

Mr Herbert appeared for the union and Mr Cookson for the employers. Mr Herbert said the present award provided for a 44-hour week for the largest number of members, but where a factory was carried on in coniunction with the store the hours were 48. He contended that the majority of employers were in favor of 44 hours, and that if others wore allowed to work 48 it would mean unfair competition. They were asking for £4 10s as a minimum for stofemen and £5 for the head or only Etoreman Robert Sydev, storeman. said he was of opinion that in most cases stores in conjunction with n factory could be worked for 44 hours without much inconvenience.

Sydney L. Harris, with 25 years' experience as a etoreman, said he considered the classification in the award as fair. Tn reply to Mr Cookson -whether the storeman was held resnonsible for the loss of goods, \vitness->said the storeman -was ahvavs first approached if anything went

mrssmg. George Luckhnrst. with eight years' experience, and John Simpson also gave evidence.

Mr Cookson said that in arriving at the recommendation in regard to hours the difficulty of settling hours suitable for the various businesses covered by tho award was fully recognised. There were a good many establishments besides factories where the bulk of the employees were working longer than 44 hours. In the case of employers -whose custom it had boon to employ general hands in excess of 44 hours it was suggested that they might be worked up to 48 hours. The employers felt that there was no justification for the increase in wages on the award rate, plus the bonus to meet tho increased Cost of Living.

The President intimated that the Court would consider their decision. UPHOLSTERERS' DISPUTE.

The Court sat in the afternoon to hear the above dispute, in which a partial agreement had been come to. Mr J. Haymes appeared for the union and Mr Cookson for the employers.

Mr Haymes said that the only matters left- for the consideration "of the ijowt were the wages of journeywomen and also the wages of apprentices, and the proportion of apprentices to journeywomen. No decision had been come to as to the date of the award coming into operation. He was willing that the award as made in Wellington should apply to Dunedin, to come into operation as from August 30 last

Mr Cookson said the real difficulty was with regard to payment for loose cover cutting. The employers held that no special rate should be made for such, rearding it as part, of a journeywoman's business

Mr Haymes asked the Court to make the award uniform with the others in the Dominoi).

The President said the Court would con ider the matter. OTHER DISPUTES.

Mr Cookson mentioned that complete agreements bad been come to in the Conciliation Council this week in the motor mechanics, the cycle workers, and the trawlers' disputes. The parties were desirous that these agreements should be made into awards.

The President, said that they could be inenticned when the Court resumed their sitting here next Friday.