SHEARERS' AWARD

Evening Star, Issue 19290, 1 July 1926, Page 3

SHEARERS' AWARD

THE EMPLOYEES DEMANDS • [Per United Press Association.] CHRISTCHURCH, Juno an. The Arbitration Court was to-day occupied in hearing an application ior a new dominion shearers and shed hand workers’ award. The principal clauses to ho settled by the court concerned rates of pay ami hours of work (a 44hour week being demanded). It was stipulated that the rates of pay for blade shearers bo not loss than 37s (id per 100, and 32s (id per 100 ior machine shearers, as the former wore at a groat disadvantage in comparison witH the latter.

Mr justice Frazer presided, and with him were Mr AV. Scold (tor the employers) and Mr A. L. Mnnteilb (tor Die employees). Air AV. H. Nicholson (secretary of the New Zealand Sheep Owners’ Federation), Mr R. AV linden (secretary of the Atarlhorough Sheep Owners’ Union), and Air R. Al. Chadwick (secretary of the Hawke’s Bay Sheep Owners’ Union) appeared for the employers, and Mr A. Cook (general secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union) and Air J. Roberts (secretary of the New Zealand Alliance of Labor) represented the employees. Air Conk, in a to the court, said that the application was made to .bind 1,455 employers as parties to an award of the court in Otago, •Southland, Marlborough, _ Wellington, and the northern industrial districts. It was unfortunate that so many clauses should ho loft for the court In settle. This, however, was accounted for by the nnconciliatnry attitude adopted by employers before the Conciliation Council, - when they refused to discuss the workers’ claims, with the exception of those embodied in the expired award. They also refused to recognise the claims made for cm tellers. The union claimed a 44-hour working. week, which was already in operation in a large number of' industries throue-bout the dominion. Tho hours ns worked in New Zealand were altogether unreasonable, and no body of men should be forced to work from pi a.m. to 5 p.m. in order to got in eight hours and forty minutes work a day. Blade shearers were at a groat disadvantage in comparison with machine shearers. The cost of blade shears was a very big item. The price of this article had increased from 100 to 200 per cent, since 1912. For machine shearing they asked £l 12s Cd per 100, with rations, this being an increase ot 2s 6d pcr_ 100 over the rate paid in the dominion for_ a number of years. According to the increased cost of Jiving they were 'fully entitled to this rate, which the union considered to he barely sufficient to allow the men to make a living wage during the time they were occupied in this casual industry. A number of employers were already paying tho demanded rates, and this proved they were' not excessive. For stud sheep they asked that the rate be not less than rate and a-half, which was a very reasonable request. The present award In this respect laid it down that the rate for shearing stud sheep .should ho settled by agreement between tho employer and the shearer. This system they hid found waa most unsatisfactory, and caused a great deal of trouble and lost time. Tho court had a precedent to go on in this respect, because in Queensland and other Australian States the courts had fixed special rates for shearing stud sheep. For all rams and double-fleeced sheep they asked for double ordinary rates, and there should he no hesitation in granting this. For merino sheep they asked that the rate be increased by 7s 6d per 100 in case of blade shearing, and 5s in tho case of machines. Combs and cutlers were very costly, and since 1914. this article had increased by over 100 per cent, in price, and they again asked the court to stipulate in the new award that ill shearing requisites be found by tho employer. Mr Cook next referred to the rates of pay for shed hands and cooks. For pressers’ work they were asking, by the, week £5, or by the hour 2s Cd. For piece rate, by hand Is a cwt or Ss a bale; by power, 9d a cwt or 2s

a bale. For all other shed hands they asked a weekly wage of 04 us, or by the hour 2s 3d. For cooks for twelve men or under they asked £7 a week; for cooks’ assistants £5 a week. Where over twelve men are employed they ask that the cooks shall bo paid 7s (Id a- week for each person over twelve, in addition to the above rate. The present award rate for pressers provides a wage of £3 2s (id lor men. employed by tho week, and Is lOd if employed by the hour. In tho majority of cases pressers were employed by the week, and it was often necessary lor them to work from ten to eleven hours a day in order to keep the wool all pressed up. For all other shed hands tho present rate was, by tho week £2 17s Gd, and by the hour Is Bd. On account of tho casual nature of the industry this rate should bo greatly increased.

Tho workers asked for the abolition of the youths’ danse of the present award, as a. youth or Native girl between the ages of 16 and .18 ranked amongst the smartest of shed workers, and was quite capable of earning, and entitled to bo paid, the adult shod hand’s minimum wage. He would ask the court to pay special attention to shearers’ cooks. ’Die present wago of £3 12s fid a week for twelve men or under was a. ridiculous one. 'the hours of a shearers’ cook on tho lowest estimate were seventeen for six days of the week' and fourteen on Sundays, a total of 116 hours a week, which worked out at exactly 7jd an hour. This was the third time that an attempt had been made to got an award for crntching. The court had previously rot used to make an award, on tho ground of the variation of soil and climatic conditions, etc., but no valid reason for refusing had been advanced, and thev now contended that the court had no further right to deprive these workers of the. protection of an award.

Air Cook also submitted argument in regard to the following matters:— Grindstones, provision of tools, engagement ol workers, limitation of agreement, a union ticket as a deposit for rations, hires, lost time, Sundays and Christmas Day as holidays, lighting of dining room, contract work, "sheep to he dagged, prolercnce to unionists, term or agreement.

After evidence for (ho applicants had been heard the court adjourned till tomorrow, when the case for the employers will bo hoard.