THE LABOR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 19019, 14 August 1925, Page 3

THE LABOR MOVEMENT

[By Veteran.] Brief contributions on mutters with reference to the. Labor Movement are incited. HOURS OF LABOR. Several unions, especially in the North Island, arc agitating for a forty-hour week. Most men who have had any lengthy experience in the Labor .movement will think it wise to leave wcTi alone, in regard to working hours, there is no country where employees arc on a better looting than in Aw Zealand. In very lew places are the conditions as good as in this dominion. For example: The (British engineering unions presented some time ago a demand tor a flat wage increase ol 20s a week. The obployers, however, replied by very drastic"proposals. Having set forth the difficulties of the industry, they proposed a 2s increase of the war bonus, but only on condition that the day shift should bo lengthened from forty-seven to fifty hours, and the night shift from forty-seven to fifty-two and a-half hours. " This increase was expressly stated to be intended to enable the trade to compote with Germany, where, according to ‘ The Times,’ working hours arc from fifty to sixty hours per week. The unions have now' considered the proposals, and have rejected themj there is “ complete and emphatic unanimity ” against any extension of the working day. At present, therefore, there is a deadlock, and the present agreement remains in force. ft ft ft * A SEQRETARILS’ UNION. I have on different occasions heard talk of a .secretaries’ union being about to oo started in Dunedin, but it has never come to anything. Many year's ago there was one started in Auckland, wnuch lasted only a short time. “ Industrial Tramp, in tire Auckland ‘Star,’ now says: “In 1911 an association composed of secretaries of unions was formed in Auckland, which did good work while it lasted. It met monthly, and sometimes oftener, and it had to survive many gibes and jokes at the idea of union secretaries forming themselves into a union to secure a' minimum tvage and maximum working hours, when the real object of its existence was the training and education of its members by mutual discussions on procedure at the Conciliation Council and Arbitration Court, as well as making themselves familiar with decisions of different courts on industrial matters. It carried on for over two years, when it j went out of existence, principally be-! cause the rank -and file in the unions ' looked upon its existence with rather a jealous feeling, as a rival to their inlluonce in making declarations on matters of public interest. At that time there _ was no central body in Labor of any paramount importance, and on | several occasions the Secretaries’ .Asso- i elation -was able to influence public opinion on some burning questions. On one occasion, the association, as the result of circulars sent out to all the unions of the dominion, was a means of a dominion conference being held in Wellington, which proved very succdssful. Since then, in Auckland, a Trades and Labor Council has been revived as a central organisation in industrial matters, and the Labor Representation Committee lias functioned for years past in matters of a political complexion. As a result of a meeting of secretaries; called together by the Trades an|l Labor Council, as an advisory committee on certain matters, it j was decided unanimously to resuscitate 1 the Secretaries’ Association, and this was done last week, when a eonstitu- ; tion and rules wore adopted, and the ' association was fairly launched. To obviate any danger of “the servant being greater than his lord,” the objects arc clearly defined in the following | terms:— ! “The objects shall be: (a) To foster the spirit of co-operation in industrial matters amongst the secretaries of the local unions, (b) To discuss industrial and political matters affecting tho w'orkers, and, if deemed advisable, to , forward recommendations to the Trades and Labor Council, or the Labor Representation Committee, on matters connected with either of those organisations. (c) To keep in touch -with decisions given under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act and its amendments, and all Labor laws.” As most of the full-time secretaries have become members, the association, as an educational medium, has a useful career before it. * •» • a COUNTRY WORK. ' At the sitting of the Arbitration Court at Wellington on June 16 tho I question was submitted by the Labor 1 Department for interpretation: “If a worker under the dominion carpenters, and joiners’ award is engaged by a I city employer for work in tho country, i but loaves the employment before tho completion of the job for which he was : engaged, is he entitled to claim return fare and travelling time back to tho town at which he was engaged?” Air K. C. Sutcliffe appeared for the carpenters and joiners. _ Tho question arose in connection with South Canter-

1 bury. I Ho said: “Wo submit tiie question for tho court to determine is; 'Where I did the contract of employment terminate which existed between iMunro I and Prosser, builders, Timaru, on tho one hand, and J. Mercer, carpenter, j tho aforesaid contract having been eui tcred into under the provisions of j clause 6 of the carpenters and joiners’ award? And further submit the con-1 tract can be terminated at any time, in compliance with clause 8 (b) of the, award; but tho obligations under the award are not fully discharged until the worker is conveyed back to tho place of engagement—Timaru. And as; the facilities for grinding and sharpen- j ing were at the shop o( the employer,! the shop not being accessible to the workers upon the country work, that, tho worker is entitled to bo paid two . hours’ time at ordinary rates, as jmivided in clause 8 (b) of the award.” j The decision of tho court, has now I been given, and provides: “That it a worker left before the completion of the job he was not entitled to bo paid travelling time for the return journey, but if dismissed for any cause other than misconduct or incompetence ho was entitled to bo paid travelling time.” The present position with relation to travelling timo_ and fares to and from country work is; — j The employer has to pay- - ] (1) If the worker is taken to a job and remains until its completion; (2) If tho worker is taken to a job and is recalled by tho employer; | (•‘i) If the worker is taken to a job and returns (a) in consequence of sickness or (b) accident contracted during i the course of bis employment. | The employer does not have to pay— 1 (1) If the worker is taken to a job and leaves of his own accord before tho completion of the work; or i (21 Is dismissed for misconduct; or j ('.]) Is dismissed for incompetence, j This position gives rise to some interesting features in connection with the “scope of employment,” and has an interesting relationship .to an accident “ arising out of or in tho course of employment.” _ , This important judgment should be 1 of interest to all unions that have clauses providing conditions for country work in their awards, as the question frequently arises as to how these clauses should bo interpreted. j * •» # * ! PROSECUTION FAILS. . I In the Fremantle _ (W.A.) Police Court recently the resident magistrate (Mr J. H. Craig) gave his reserved decision in cases in which fourteen members of the Committee of Management

; of tho Fremantle branch of the Wateri side Workers’ Federation of Australia 1 wore charged by the Association of Employers of Waterside Labor with having ordered, joined in, encouraged, or coni seated to a partial or total refusal of i the members of the union to accept | work under the terms and conditions 'of the award. A separate case was formed against 0. Cook, vigilance officer of the union, who was charged with having, by active directions and orders, prevented members from carrying on work under award conditions. I As it was agreed that it should act as a test case, the charge against the president of the branch, C. Mofaday, who was also a member of the Committee of Management, had been the only i one heard. The magistrate dismissed | both cases against Moraday and that | against Cook. The other thirteen, cases ' were adjourned sine die.