BRICKMAKERS’ CLAIMS

Evening Star, Issue 19616, 23 July 1927, Page 9

BRICKMAKERS’ CLAIMS

CASE BEFORE ARBITRATION COURT The Arbitration Court—His Honor Mr Justice Frazer (president), and Messrs W. Scott- and A. L. Monteitb (assessors) —sat this morning to hear the hrickmakers, potterymakers, and tilemakers’ dispute. ;Mr A. S. Cookson. appeared for the employers, and Mr J. Robinson for tho union.

Tlie matters referred to the court in this dispute were hours of work, holidays, and overtime, wages, kilnburners, piecework, and special provisions re the reduction of wages. Mr Robinson, in addressing the court, said the union’s claim for a forty-four-hour week in place of a forty-eight-hour wcok was made chiefly for the purpose of bringing the hours of work in the industry into line with those fixed by the majority of dominion awards for industries in which there was no constitutional reason for working more. Boilermakers, bootmakers, carpenters, clothing trade employees, engineers, freezing workers, furniture trade employees, iron and brass moulders, and wool and grain store employees worked only forty-four '.hours per week; while drivers worked ■'forty-eight, coachworkers forty-seven, and printers’ machinists _ forty-five. Hence the tendency in dominion agreements was to fix forty-four hours as tho standard week’s work, and this union felt that the example set in dominion agreements should bo followed in local agreements and awards. If there were any reason arising out of the nature of the industry or its requirements that rendered the ■working of forty-eight hours essential they should not have asked for the amendment of tin’s clause. But no such reason had been advanced. The union made application for payment for specified holidays, because, while believing that work should not generally be engaged in on those days, it felt that, if the employee were not paid for them, each one of them become merely a day off—a burden which few wage earners could afford to bear. Double-time rates were asked for work cm Saturday afternoons, and overtime was sought'at the rate of time and ahalf for the first two hours, and double time thereafter. The first four classifications in the demands for wages covered tho work done by the Petrous Tile Company, which was engaged in the manufacture of cement goods. Hitherto those workers had been included among “ all other workers,” and the speaker was pleased to he able to admit that tho company had paid them more for their work than the award rate, which was Is 9d an hour. It was suggested that those workers should be paid Is lid an hour, the rate paid to the Christchurch pumice-con-crete-goods makers. For a forty-six-Jiour week in Wellington tho following rates had been agreed upon :— Flangers 2s 4d an hour, stickers 2s 3d, pipesetters 2s Id, brick-setters and drawers of patent kilns 2s, all other workers Is lOd; and it was thought the court should grant those rates in Dunedin. On tho Wellington basis it was claimed that tho'following rates should ho paid to youths:—Up to 17 years, £1 15s a week: 18 years,. £2..55: 19. years, £2 10s; 20 years, £3 ss; thereafter the minimum rate for adult workers. Kiln-workers had to work twelve-hour shifts, which, it was contended, should he reduced. The speaker went on to state that a kiln-burner must have gained a considerable amount of experience before being classed ns a. competent burner. Night workers should receive a higher rate than ' day workers. There was also a claim to protect workers from suffering, as a consequence of tho award, any reduction in the rates they were at present getting. The union asked that special provision should be made to cover the work of a “thrower,” who was responsible for the making of stone bottles and jars. Evidence was called by Mr Robinson in respect to the duties of kiln-burners. Mr Cookson. in stating his ease, said ho did not think anything that had been said would justify the court in departing from the principals of the existing award. The trades quoted by Mr Robinson as having a forty-lour-honr week had it before the brickmakers had an award. Tho hours of work of an industry were fixed by the exigencies and nature of the business. Mr Robinson had not attempted to justify the claims for wages. The employers strongly objected to payment for holidays on which work was done. It was contended that that was unreasonable, hecan.se overtime rates wore payable under tho award. Tho suggested payment for holidays was not recognised generally in the case of hourly workers. The employers wore agreeable to pay double time for work on specified holidays. In respect to overtime, the union was claiming time and a-hftlf for tho first, two hours, instead of tho first four hours, and he suggested the court would make no change. Tt seemed unreasonable to ask for the increase in wages when the yards were full of bricks. His Honor said ho noticed that in some places bricks seemed to he coming into their own again- In Dunedin he had noticed several largo of ferro-concrete, which were having brick facings. , Mr Cookson said tho employers protested against any increase because of the state of tho trade at Nearly all the brickyards in New Zealand were full up. In the main centres most of tho large buildings wore being put up in ferro-eoneretc. His Honor said it was to ho hoped that bricks would come into their own again. In Auckland. Wellington, and Dunedin ho had noticed buildings on which brick panelling was being used on tho ferro-concrete _ Mr Cookson said that if they could induce architects to adopt that style of building it would he a good thing for the trade. He went on to say that if a forty-four-hour week were granted it would ho very inconvenient because the drivers in Dm trade were working more than forty-four hours a week. He claimed that nothing had been proved to warrant a changoDn the shifts. Evidence in regard to “throwers” was called by Mr Cookson. who said it had been shown that the one young man employed in that particular job was being treated very well. An enormous' increase was being asked all round on the wages, and it was not regarded as reasonable. His Honor intimated that the court would tako time to consider its decision.