STAGE EMPLOYEES

Evening Star, Issue 19855, 2 May 1928, Page 13

STAGE EMPLOYEES

DOMINION AWARD SOUGHT [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, .May 1. Conciliation proceedings commenced to-day before the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr Hally) in the dispute between the New Zealand Theatrical Proprietors and Managers’ Industrial Association of Employers and the New Zealand Federated Association of Stage Employees’ Industrial Association of Workers. There are at present four district awards in the main centres, and the aim of tlie-proceedings was to amalgamate the whole into a dominion award. . In the negotiations so lar as they have proceeded the employees desire to frame the dominion award on the basis of the best conditions in the existing awards. The employers declined to accept this basis, but were willing to concede ten days’ holiday in Otago, where hitherto they had none, while the Auckland employees had enjoyed fourteen days’ holiday under their award. Holidays and conditions wore discussed at some length without any agreement being reached, and it was suggested that perhaps conditions might be agreed upon if the wages could he settled satisfactorily. . . ~ Wages and overtime were then discussed, and tentative agreements wero reached on some points pending an agreement being reached on holidays and conditions. The greatest difficulty arose over the advantages in Auckland as against the disadvantages in Otago, the latter insisting on certain conces-. sioas, while Auckland was not disposed to forgo anything should a dominion award bo agreed upon. When it was suggested that the employers wanted to reduce the dominion award to the Dunedin level an offer was made to renew the existing district awards as a proof that such a surmise was incorrect. The offer was not accepted. Tho employers declined to make a dolinito oiler on wages, urging that they could not do so without knowing the conditions, if conditions acceptable to the employers were agreed upon something might bo conceded iu the direction of wages. The employees used tho reverse argument—that they could not concede conditions until they knew what concessions they wore likely to get iu the matter of wages. No agreement has yet been reached.