CARPENTERS AND JOINERS

Evening Star, Issue 18335, 24 July 1923, Page 3

CARPENTERS AND JOINERS

THE WAGE INCREASE. WHY MR SCOTT DISSENTED. In connection with tho Arbitration Court’s majority decision to award carpenters on outside jobs -Jd over the standard rate for skilled labor, Mr Wm. Scott (the employers’ representative) has given the reasons for his dissent. They arc: 1. Any increase in the wages of these workers involved a departure from the court’s Gisborno pronouncement which had hitherto been used as a basis for all wages. It placed all skilled workers on the highest plane, and had proved of incalculable benefit to the worker and. to the employer alike. 2. That tho present wages already compensated for broken time, and that no evidence was tendered before tho court to justify any further compensation. Painters and builders and general laborers had more broken time than carpenters and

joiners. 3. Tho fact that the carpenters and the joiners had to provide their own tools was one which had always been taken into consideration in fixing tho wDge for this class of work. This was admitted by Mr Bloodworth (tho union’s advocate), who stated that when the wages were raised from Is 4jd to Is 6d in 1914- the extra money was given in consideration of tho upkeep of tools. The fact that other skilled workers had since had thenwages raised to tho same level was not a reason why the wage of these workers should be still further increased. 4. It was admitted that subsequent to the war all tools had greatly increased in price, but there was no evidence to show that the present price would always remain so high. If anything, tho evidence was to the contrary. To vary the_ wages in accordance with tho market prices of tools would, in his opinion, bo a risky experiment, and in the end lead to friction.

5. Ho was also of opinion that the increase in wages would only benefit slow and inefficient workers, as a good workman could, and, as a matter of fact, did, command a much higher rate than that fixed by tho award. The award fixed the minimum rate only, -and it was being treated as such bv the employers to-day. 6, The fact that the. carpenters and joiners were being specially singled out among skilled trades was not only in opposition to tho court’s Gisborne pronouncement, but it was at variance with the well-considered judgment of tho court, which was recorded in the Book of Awards and read as follows; —“Tho cost of the tools is borne by the workers in other skilled' trades, and tho court cannot find any justification for making any distinction between the carpenters and joiners and the workers in other trades.”