THE LABOR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 18852, 29 January 1925, Page 11

THE LABOR MOVEMENT

[By Vetbrah.]

Brief contributions on matters with reference to the Labor Movement art invited. EVADING AWARDS. . At the Christchurch Magistrate's Court Tn December 12 last Mr H. Y. AViddowAn, S.M., heard a case in winch it was awed that the employees were conniving ath the employers in breaking the North \ hnterbury bakers and pastrycooks' Bf>va.rd. The award distinctly states that the hour of starting work shall not be earlier than 4 a.m. except on Saturdays, vvlicu it may be started at 3 a.in. If any employer wishes an employee to start earlier for any cause, double rates must be paid for time worked before 4 a..m. or 3 a.m., as the case may be. Where work is started before those hours advantage is being taken to got ahead of those employers who are strictly complying with the award.

Two informations wore laid against Mrs Sunderland for having employed men in tlie bakehouse before 4 a.m., and having failed to pay overtime tor the hours before time stated; and one information against Johnston and one against Chisnall (both workers) for having begun work before 4 a.m. and having failed to claim overtime rates. The three cases were taken together. Mr Waite, who took tho action, explained that the defendant Sunderland was a baker in Fitzgerald avenue, and tho other two defendants were, employees. Ho quoted clause L (c) of the award regarding the necessity of paying overtime at double time rales. On October 3 Johnston and Chisnall began work at 2.15 a.m. and did not receive overtime rates for the period worked before 4 a.m. The wages and tho lime hooks were the subjects of actions in the court the week before. Tho overtime column was shown to bo a blank as to hours and wages. Tho Arbitration Court ruling was that overtime rail’s must, ho paid on ordinary wages, and not on the minimum as under the award.

The defendants all slated that higher than award rates were paid, and (lint was supposed to rover any overtime worked ; but tho wages never varied, hoyever much nr litile overtime was worked, although the starling lime varied considerably from 2.15 ji.m. to 3.45 a.m. on some mornings. The Magistrate sa.id that the. defendant Sunderland was fined Iho previous week for not having a proper wages hook. The onus was on her to show the wages and overtime. It seemed extraordinary to him that, where, there was an award people should fry and get. round it. The award was iheV'e as plain as could be, vet people conceived the idea, of entering into a contract for explicit wages a, week. It was simply flouting the award. If he allowed that to pass, then awards would he no good at all. People were either

engaged at award rates or higher, and overtime did not matter. He had been told by the inspector that, the men in the case, had said specifically that they were engaged at, £6 10s ami £5 10s, and Mrs Sunderland had also said so. They now said they intended to mean that- they were, paid the amount under the award and overtime. When confronted with the discrepancy they coolly said'the inspector was making a, mistake. Ho (the. magistrate'! was prepared to believe the inspector, and not take the word of the defendants. Chi-mall had said that the overtime was Mie same week after week, but ono week it was shown that it- was one hour less, ami ho offered no excuse. It was quite dear that a plain case had been proved. In one sense the breaches were not- serious, as far as money was concerned, hut- they were serious in that (he a,ward had been flouted.

Judgment would he for (lie plaintiff against. Mrs Sunderland for 10s on each information, with costs, and for (he plaintiff against each of (he oilier nVfcmla-nts for ss.

■Jf it # # PRINTERS’ MACHINISTS ANT) BOOKBINDERS.

T have received a ropy of the report and balance-sheet whirl) is In hr presented to tho ;innmi 1 meeting of tlio ahovr union on February A glance at tho balnneesheH shows I hoi. thr all ail's of (ho union arc very carefully and iv-onomieany managed. '1 ho fniloivinir extracts from (ho report aro worth quoting;—

“ Ope of tho very ansa I isfee f nry foalnros of any ndvanrrnionl whe h is obtained for our members is (hat those who ■aro unscrupulous -enough (o stand nut. of tho union ami rnnt -rihnte inching towards its support, share equally in these hour-fits with the person who realises his ohligan’on to the union which has done so mueh for him, and supports it morally and iinanrially. ft is hard for an ordinary person to conceive (hr. type of mind of the individuals who lake lim advances which we, liavo just, indicated without in any way acknowledging tho efforts of the union .in obtaining ilioso. 'these non-unionists sonic people openly call them by a. harder name of five letters commencing and ending with the. letter ‘ s.’ but we flare not. put. this word in print take all (hey ran gel, and never in tho (slightest degree acknowledge their indebtedness to (he union for getting these benefits, (,'onld ingratitude go farther';' Wo think not, and use have a supreme, abhorrence for the type «>t individual who con do this without a blush. A deputation from your hoard waited on some of those individuals and used (heir persuasive powers in trying to induce them to join up with ns, hut were unsuccessful. A vouched-for story is going the rounds that as soon as the award came into force one of these hungry nonunionists was anxiously inquiring if lie was to get the rise that week, and if Ins week’s pay would include the increased proportion for the- first two days of tho year, which happened to be in that week s pay 1 Through the efforts of the union, this man is receiving somewhere in tho vicinity of £6, but he evidently does not find Unit enough to support, as he has his wile out working, too. Notwithstanding all this, income, ho cannot- spare sixpence a wivk for the union! Such men deserve to he snubbed by all their co-workers, and shown that their contemptible actions arc not, polished. If this weapon were used it surely would have some effect when mildew methods have been unsuccessful.”

‘■As mentioned in our last report, (lie accumulated funds of the union were increasing, and the last, annual meeting decided that this accumulation should he divided amongst members and placed to their credit in proportion to the amountpaid in contributions. This was done by the secretary-treasurer, and (lie statement of (ho sum to each mcmbcrls credit is now available, mid presented along with this report. Tides and regulations worn drawn up to govern this division, and the so rules have been approved ot, mid will bo embodied in tho next rule hook, whirl) will he printed during the incoming year. In (ho meantime we may mention that the amount to the credit- of members is not available except- on the death of a member, the member leaving the trade or leaving the industrial district of Otago to work elsewhere, or upon tho member attaining the age of sixty years. Another provision which concerns dilatory-paying members--and (here, are unfortunately n few of these—is that if tlmy have not paid within seven days from the date of the close of the financial year they shall be liable to have double the, amount- of these arrears deducted from ony accumulated funds which mav ho to their credit, and they shall not participate in any division which is made during the year in which the deduction is made, 'tour board trusts that, it will not. ho necessary to pur. this provision into operation, hut it. intends to do so should the necessity arise. Members who are not paid up at Iho end of each financial period are a worry and a trouble to (ho sec ret ary ■ trea surer, and prevent him from closing his hooks in time for presentation to the. annual meeting, and require to bo made tin example of, because there is no excuse for this dilatoriuesa.”

It is easily seen that the secretarytreasurer of this union gives a good deal of time to the preparing of the report and balance-sheet, especially in apportioning the surplus fund, which varies from Is 6d to £5 ss, according to the amount paid iu

by individual members, d hi- scheme has only been in force iw.. years, and it is a credit to the management of the union. * * * * BRITISH LA mm TARTY. The British Labor Research Hep,'irtinenl publishes a map showing the distribution of Labor representation in (treat Britain. From it we see that in the whole of the district south of the Thames, and in the whole of the North of Scotland and Northern Ireland, there is no Labor representation whatever. Jn the. Midlands and Lastern Scotland Labor representation is about 25 per cent, of the 'whole : in tho Clyde district and Ayrshire this proportion ranges from 25 to 50 per cent., while in the Sottish mining and industrial districts and (he South Wales mining and smelting districts Labor representation in Parliament, rises to 75 pci- cent, or more. It is therefore the Scottish and Welsh districts which provide the bulk of the Labor votes of Great Britain. » MI NT,Ti S' HOURS, Mr A. J. Cook, general secretary of the Miners' Federation of Great, Britain, referring to the fact that there wore or»r 100,000 unemployed in 'be industry, and that the owners were endeavoring to make the m-en believe that, the only way of reducing this number was by increasing the working dav from seven to eight hours, said that the M.K.G.B. would not countenance for one moment the .suggestion to abandon the seven-hour day. and any attempt, to force such a political move would be resisted verv vigorously and produce one of the fiercest strikes in the history of tho mining industry. The present, wages agreement expires in dmio next, and Mr Cook said that when the new agreement came up nut only would the present hours have to be maintained, Imr the minimum wages would have to be increased a’hd tho miners' wages generally advanced.