THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 20320, 31 October 1929, Page 16

THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

[By J.S.S.]

8ri»l contributions on matters with reference to tka Lsboui Movement srs invited.

CONFECTIONERY AND BISCUIT MANUFACTURING WORKERS. Usually an impasse is reached in conciliation procedure when the vital questions of rates of wages and length of working hours are discussed. The Arbitration Court then acts as the final arbiter. When an agreement is reached without recourse to the court it signifies as a rule that the old conditions are to be allowed to stand for a further term. The case, therefore, of the Northern and Otago and Southland biscuit and confectionery manufacturing employees’ application for a new award may be quoted as a noteworthy exception. An agreement was reached in the proceedings which took place in Christchurch last week whereby the working week has been reduced from forty-eight hours to fortyfive per week. This must be regarded as a decidedly advantageous gain. The reduction of hours, without any decrease in wages, is an achievement which represents several years’ > endeavour on the part of the unions. Very often a slight increase in wages brings little material as enhanced living costs follow with such diepressing vapidity. In the matter of hours, however, there is a direct benefit to many workers’ health _ given by any lessening. There is a stimulation to better work, too, when hours are not prolonged. It is the men adult workers in the biscuit and confectionery works who will most benefit by the hew award, for it is they who have previously worked forty-eight hours Juveniles and women workers, who comprise the great majority employed, already have a forty-five-hour week, this being the limit imposed by the Factories Act. It has been the custom of men adults to commence duties half an hour earlier than the others. This_ was always considered somewhat galling to men, wno in many cases have given loyal service to their firms extending for mauv years. Storemen in such places will be in future covered by the award and not by the storemen’s award. Their position has been in the past to work the forty-four hours provided in their own award and to do the additional four hours worked in the factory at ordinary daily rates. Under the new award they will, work forty-five _ hours at ordinary rates. Anything in excess of this will be paid for at ordinary overtime rates. A minor alteration of the award, hut one which should be better known, is that which states that a worker shall be paid the rate of wages of the class of work in which he is for the greater part of bis time engaged. In the old award Kirgslards. an Invercargill firm, were oxemnted from the provision which states that a worker operating a biscuit dough brake machine shall he paid £4 f)s 6d. The exemption was granted because it was contended hv > the firm that the, worker concerned in their rectory was «ot wholly employed in such capacity. However, the court has laid it down as a precedent that a worker shall he naid the rate of pay given for the class of work in which he is su batonfiifl.ll'v ©npagecl. worker m Kingsland’s factory will thus get a rise from (■A Ps fid to £4 9s fid. The new award provides for the payment of six separate days’ holidays. T hese n'*e* nii-nc-hmas P‘ lT * q Hav, Good Friday, Faster Monday. Labour Dav. and Kind’s 'Rmtbdny. Though not, vet dominion wide in anoUcation +he award is approachiim that status. Three new noinns are now covered Cbrwtebnrcb. T,mnrn. Wanganui. Efforts at organising ’Wellington, which in comparison with Auckland and Dunedin does little mcnnfneturing of confectionery, will he made.' In the H"ht of what Ims boon gained since +ho formation ot a union in WTO in Donkin bv Mr W. Morbert. there should he a n'eniturio of support given to the attempts to f orm a union. « » * * NEW LABOURERS’ AWARD. The announcement of the terms of the new Southland local body labourers award marks a further step forward in the history of trade unionism. Several hundred men will receive substantial increases in pay, particularly those in the smaller boroughs, where wages have hitherto been very low. Working conditions generally have been levelled up to a standard similar to those in existence in the cities. The Dunedin local body labourers’ award was accepted as the standard on which the Southland men based their demands, and the assistance of Mr R. Harrison, secretary of the labourers’ union, was given in the arbitration procedure. Although there are two different awards now governing Otago and Southland, this does not imply entirely separate union organisations The Southland union is a branch of the_ Otago union, and the Dunedin office is the accepted beadquarters. Previously labourers employed by borough councils and other similar bodies in Invercargill were paid Is lOd an hour as a general rate; now the minimum rate is Is lid for ordinary pick and shovel work, and varying rate of 2s 3d to 2s fid for excavation work. In excavating from Bft to 20ft in depth 2s 3d is paid; from 20ft to 30ft, 2s 4d an hour; in excess of 30ft, 2s fid per hour. Labourer employed in jointing gas or water mains and in hammer and drill work shall receive 2s per hour. For bitumen jobs Is extra a day shall be given, and this also applies to those engaged in jointing sewer and storm water mains. It can be gauged that, though rates arc not higher than those prevailing in Dunedin, nevertheless they represent big increases over the previous flat rate of Is lOd. It is not generally appreciated that a good deal of so-called unskilled work is really skilled, and that much labouring work is not merely the physical task of swinging a pick and shovel. Labouring, in many aspects. required properly experienced workmen. Thus it is that when an award is sought comparison of different grades and classes of the same works is needed in order to form an accurate classification. Of course, the degree of unpleasantness or heaviness of a particular job is also a big factor. _ In the case of this new award the union’s demands for classified higher rates have been acceded to. The country boroughs which were wont, in some instances, to pay Is an hour will now be com polled to give Is lid—a very substantial increase. There is another benefit indirectly given by the award which affects the organising work of the union. In those small country towns outside the radium of either the Dunedin and InvercargiM awards it will be possible to add gradu ally fresh parties. As men in these places are gathered into the fold oi union membership so will their employ ers come within the scope of the award. At any sitting of the court application may lie made to cite fresh parties. * * * * ALLIANCE OF LABOUR, Speaking from an Alliance of Labour viewpoint, it is the opinion of Mr Arthur Cook, secretary of the New Zea-

land Workers Union, that much better harmony prevails in the Dunedin Labour movement at the present time than for some years past. Increasing affiliations to the Dunedin Trades Council, which incorporates the local branch of the Alliance of Labour, are being nitid© Much ot tho misundcrstuncinnj* as regards motives and methods of giving effective voice to the different unions’ aims has been broken down, and a better spirit of toleration and mutual endeavour is manifested. Mr Cook recently lectured here on Alliance of Labour policy. * • * » LABOUR DAY. The Otago Labour Day Association, comprising representatives of trade unions, has reason to congratulate itself on the splendid fixture which it staged on Labour Day at the Caledonian Ground. Too great success was not at first expected, as this was the lirst occasion for a considerable number of years that a sports gathering of the nature was held. Certain unions had favoured for years a change from the annual picnic on Labour Day, but the picnic habit had become deeply rooted. Only after a phenomenal succession of wet days and a growing listlessness towards celebration at all did there come about a different decision. Now, however, inspired _by an initial success, there is every indication that the sports gathering will become an event of everincreasing interest and importance. There is widespread satisfaction at the organising efforts and general preparatory work done by Mr C. Pryce. * * * « SECRETARY’S DISMISSAL. On October 11, before Mr W. H. Woodward, S.M., Frederick George Blake labo >r union secretary, of Invercargill (Mr A. F. Hogg), claimed from the Otago General Labourers’, Builders’ Labourers’, and Quarrymen and Coal Yard Industrial Union of Workers, a union duly registered under the Trades Unions Act, 1908 (Mr E. J. Anderson, Dunedin), the sum of £35 5s for wages owed plaintiff by the union for his services as branch secretary from June 21 to August 30 The case went to some length, and His Worship reserved his decision. This he gave yesterday morning (says the ‘ Southland -Times ’ of Friday last). In finding for the defendants, Mr Woodward stated, inter alia. “Apart from his refusal to obey instructions the plaintiff took up an improper attitude towards his employers. Generally the plaintiff seems to have overlooked the fact that _he was the servant of the union in his anxiety to run the business of the branch on his own lines, and to have adopted a deliberately hostile, provocative, and insubordinate attitude to his employers until after the date when it is claimed he was dismissed. It was only then that his tactics changed, and he hastened to render accounts, send receipts for his salary, particulars of , disbursements from imprest accounts, and assurances as regards the opening ot the account in the name of the union that he would be very pleased _to accede to any requirements in -this direction. 1 am quite satisfied he merited dismissal. It is familiar law that a servant may be dismissed without notice for wilful disobedience and is not entitled to recover wages for any period after the misconduct took place. Judgment is for the defendant, with costs/’