WOOL AND GRAIN WORKERS

Evening Star, Issue 18035, 1 August 1922, Page 6

WOOL AND GRAIN WORKERS

CONCILIATION COUNCIL SITTING-

HEARING ADJOURNED

The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr W. H. Hagger) sat this morning to hear -a dispute between the Dnnodin Wholesale Storemen’s Union and the employers in respect to the wages-and conditions of wool, grain, and skin storo workers.

The union asked for a forty-four hour week, eight hours to ho worked on live days of the week and four hours on Saturday. Wages wore claimed as follows:—Casual workers, 2s 3d per hour; permanent employees, not less than £4 15s por week; workers handling hides, 3d per hour in addition to the ordinary wago; workers classing rabbitskius, 3d per hour extra; workers in charge of seed-cleaning machine; 3d per '"hour extra; workers handling manure, 2s "3d per hour; casual workers in oil stores, 2s ,GJd per hour; permanent workers in oil stores, not less than £5 per week; leaders of gangs, 5s per week in addition to order rates. For workers at seed-cleaning, grain-cleaning, and crushing, and manure mixing, eight hours was asked to constitute a shift and forty-four hours a- week’s work, for which payment was claimed of £5 Is a week.

The employers offered a forty-four hour week and wages as follows: Casual workers, Is (id per hour; permanent hands, £3 2s 6d por week; anv worker mixing manure to receive Ud per hour in addition to his rate for the timo lie is so employed, a minimum of one hour to ho paid; wages to bo subject to rovisioji from time to time in accordance with any order of the Arbitration Court. Overtime of time and a-quarter for the first three hours and timo and n-half thereafter was offered for work in excess of forty-four hours. These overtime rates were also offered for all timo worked beyond the time provided for shift work (shifts not exceeding eight hours to bo worked, and in that case hours of work to he arranged by each employer to suit his own business). Tho following rates were offered for youths Under 17 years, £1 per week; 17 to 18, £1 ss; Is to 19, £1 10s; 19 to 20,_ £2; 20 to 21, £2 10s. Special provisions were also asked for Oamaru wool and grain store workers.

For tho employers Messrs J. H. Salmon, J. B. Waters, and George Black appeared as assessors, with Mr A. S. Cookson as agent. The sitting was fixed for 10.30 a.m., but as no assessors for the union appeared by 11 a.m. the dispute was adjourned till 10 a.m. on August 24. Just as those present had dispersed Mr W. Herbert (one of the union assessors) hurried in, and, in apologising for being late, said he had forgotten all about the sitting. He wished to make a statement on behalf of tho union.

The employers’ assessors were called back, and agreed to hear Mr Herbert. Mr Herbert said the union wished a dominion sitting of the Conciliation Council. Ho understood that all the employers wore desirous of a dominion award made except those in Otago and Southland. Air Cookson: You have been misinformed.

Mr Herbert said the proposals of the employers in all places had been the same, which proved that the employers were taking uniform action. It ‘was thought the matter should be left to tho court.

Mr Cookson said Mr Herbert’s statement was quite unjustified. There was no indication in tho papers filed by the union or the employers that the dispute was a dominion one. His side wished to treat it purely as a local one. Ho thought the union Was lacking in courtesy in its treatment of the employers. Ho asked that the adjournment fixed he confirmed.

Mr Herbert said that since the union had filed its application to cover tho whole industrial district it had received separate citations from Invercargill and Dnnedin-Oamani. Ho asked if that was in order.

The Commissioner assured Mr Herbert that it was quite in order. Invercargill had previously been covered by a separate award, and tho union was now trying to cover that district, which was already covered by a previous award.

The sitting was then adjourned til! August 24.