SHOP ASSISTANTS.

Evening Star, Issue 18809, 6 December 1924, Page 10

SHOP ASSISTANTS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—A false impression has been created in the minds of the shop assistants by a telegram from Wellington, published in your columns a week or so ago. The telegram stated that a secret ballot of shop assistants had been taken for the purpose of ascertaining what altitude the shop assistants would take for changing the hours of closing on Friday night, and Saturday as requested by the Employers’ Association. Not having boon informed by the Simp Assistants’ Federation that a ballot was to be taken, 1 wrote to Wellington for information, and the following information was sent to me. Neither the Shop Assistants’ Federation nor the Wellington Simp Assistants’ Union has had anything to do with the ballot; the whole mutter was at the instigation of the employers of Wellington, Almost every assistant covered by the award received a lengthy letter, telling them what good fellows they were, etc., and asking them to vote to change the hours as desired by tho employers. This letter slated Unit the union was not carrying out the wishes of tho majority of tho assistants, and other mailer that may influence tho assistants. As everyone concerned in tho dispute knows, tho law recognises only the organised bodies of employers and workers, and a voto such as was taken in Wellington was of no consequence at all. The telegram from Wellington gave the result of the voting as 190 for tho change and ninety-two against. Apart from those figures being incorrect the employers in Wellington wore not playing tho game in resorting (o such a method of trying to gain their ends. Going farther back, we find that when tho court cut off the half-hour on Friday night tho employers of Wellington threatened that if tho, union did not agree to exchange the half-hour on Friday night for 12.30 on Saturday they would make tho starting hour 8.30 instead of 9 a.m., as was in operation. This throat was carried out, and the assistants wore compelled to work two and a-half liours longer each week in spite of tho court thinking that the hours were too long. Reverting to tho vote taken, wo see that altogether about 550 assistants recorded their votes, and yet tho employers look upon this as an overwhelming majority for their proposal. When we know that this is only about a quarter of tho number of assistants employed in Wellington the majority docs not scorn to bo so overwhelming, and 1 may- state that very few members of tho union (and they are tho only assistants that count in this matter) recorded their votes. Again, the ballot was said to be a secret ballot, but from tho information received tho contrary is tho case. The letter and ballot paper wore handed to each assistant by a representative of the employer, and tho following day this representative collected the ballot papers by hand, and was in a position to peruse each paper as soon us it was handed to him.

Tho whole question hinges around the Auckland agreement, hut tho conditions in that city wore entirely different from those of any other city before tho new award came into force. Before the new award came into force most simps in Auckland closed at 12 o'clock on Saturday, some at 12,30, and when the new award was first put into operation tho employers made tho closing hour 1 o’clock. To get back to the original hour of closing the assistants in Auckland were agreeable to have the late night closing fixed at 9 o’clock in return, arid as I explained in a previous letter they agreed to 12.15, with a few exceptions of 12 o’clock. I am pleased to bo able to state that the Dunedin employers have not resorted to tho tactics adopted by the Wellington employers, but at the same time I am surprised that after placing the Auckland agreement before the shop assistants they should withdraw their offer when the union agreed to almost identical conditious.—l am, etc., W. IV. Batchelor, Secretary, Dunedin Amalgamated Society of Shop Assistants. December 5.