THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 21232, 13 October 1932, Page 3

THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

1% J.s.s.l >srief contributions on matters wit It reference to tho Labour Movement, arc invited. it X A MIX AT lOX FOR MOTOR MUCH AXJCS. An important clause in the proposals for a new award made by employers in the motor trade is the olfor to classify mechanics. The employers desire to institute an examination, and those men who qualify will bo paid 2d an hour above the minimum award rate. In the event of there being no agreement for an award it is proposed to pay qualified mechanics a minimum of 2s an hour. An objection by the union is that good mechanics who have learned their trade in a practical way might not bo able to put their knowledge on paper. Another objection raised is that no provision has been made for union representatives on the committee to control the examinations. The employers’ reply is that no mechanic would bo placed in a false position. The examination would be mainly oral, and would lie conducted by practical experts. Regarding representation on the examination committee the employers state that lids might be possible should the workers apply for such. In the conciliation procedure which took place in Wellington last week the workers’ representatives stood out for 2s 2d an hour for certified men, and 2s an hour for other mechanics. These rates were considered reasonable in view of file high qualifications required under the examination system. It was stated that the majority of the mechanics in Wellington were receiving 2s OJd. The final offer of the employers was Is IOJd and 2s OJd, which was not accepted, the meeting finally being adjourned. Air James Black represented the Dunedin employers' at the conference, and Mr A. J. Rice, secretary, the Dunedin workers.

APPLICATION FOB. DOAHNiON AAVARD.

Acting on a suggestion by the secretary of the Employers’ Federation, Air T. 0. Bishop, that a dominion dispute should be given preference to local disputes, the Drivers’ Federation is arranging to file an application for a dominion award to cover drivers in various centres, with the exception of Auckland. City Council and local body drivers are not concerned in the dispute. being provided for by separate awards.' The advocates for the union are seeking a forty-hour week and wages on the basis ruling before the 10 per cent, cut, ranging from £4 Ss a week for one-horse drivers to £5 3s for drivers of the heaviest motor trucks. The employers, on the other hand, desire a forty-eight-hour week and wages from £3 16s to £4 6s Cd, loss 10 per cent.

DEADLOCK ON WAGES ISSUE. A Press Association message from Wellington last week stated that another deadlock had occurred in the dispute between the Amalgamated Engineering and Allied Trades Union (New Zealand Council) and the New Zealand Motor Trades Association. It was mentioned that an offer of \A an hour increase on the employers’ original proposals was not accepted by the union. Those wages proposals were as follows:—Motor mechanics. Is lOd an hour; assemblers, Is BJ-d an hour; improvers, Is 7d an hour first year, Is 8d an hour second year; first year assistant, 12s Cd a week; second-year assistant. £1 a week; third-year assistant, £1 ss; fourth year, £1 12s fid a week, fifth year, £2 a week. Unionists contend that many individual garage owners consider the wages offered by the association are too low. A union official at the conference stated that the absence of an award was bad both for employers and workers, as it enabled undercutting of prices and created “ back yard ” garages, besides bringing workers into competition with former employers. Employers state that since the award had lapsed, in June, the association had asked individual, employers whether or not they favoured continuing without an award. The majority had expressed themselves as being in favour of a reasonable award, but a strong minority had been ready to go on without an award. Since June the position in the trade had not improved. It was time that there were indications that things were about to improve, but, they hold that they are not in a position to offer any more than they offered in June. The proposed schedule of wages represents a reduction of 10 per cent, on the net rates ruling under the old award. ENGINEERS’ DOMINION DISPUTE. A joint meeting of all parties to the dominion engineers’ dispute will shortly bo called. A meeting to ve-heav the dispute failed in its object last week because the boilermakers’ and moulders’ union was not represented. The delegates from Dunedin present were Messrs G. Gray (employers’ representative) and F. Symonds (workers’ representative). It is considered by union officials that tbo failure of the first Conciliation Council meeting, which resulted in the cancellation of the engineers’ award, was due to the feeling of strain which existed as a result of the recent legislation. Since then the industry lias had the experience of working without an award, and throughout the country new awards have been made in other industries. It is felt that it ought to be possible now for the New Zealand Ironmasters’ Association anil the union to reach an agreement. The two main clauses i" dispute relate to hours and wages. For the employers it is contended they are ecpially anxious with the workers to reach an agreement, and once again work under an award. Mr A. C. Mitchell at the meeting stated that the fact that wanes had not been reduced since th« old award had ben cancelled was evidence of the good faith of employers, who look on the proposed rates of wooes as minimum, not maximum, rates. * '* • » SHEARERS’ DISPUTE. ■ Mr A. Cook, general secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union, stated in an interview last week that a recent Press Association message from Hastings in connection with the shearers’ dispute wa altogether misleading. The statement, said Air Cook, made it appear that the shearers were demanding increased rates. This was not so. They wore merely asking for the award rates of 19J1 to bo continued. This did not mean the men were asking for increased rates. Late in October, If).')], the Arbitration Court reduced shearers' wages from 21s to 21s. This reduction was, made on account' of a falling wool market. Mr Justice Frazer in bis memorandum had stated ‘‘ that the decision had been reached in view of the conditions of a special nature, and was not to be regarded as establishing a precedent.”

At the present time, added .Mr Cook, wool values were rising, therefore the shearers and shed workers were justified in asking that the low minimum rates provided for in the 1931 award should bo continued Ibis season. ♦ • ♦ • AHNI.AIU.M WARM SOUGHT. “ Private hotelkeepers are hawing a really desperate time. Alany of those wlio have been in the business for years have had to walk out with nothing. It is a matter of urgency that the case should he heard as early as possible,” urged Air W. J. Alonntjoy, their representative, in the -Arbitration Court in Wellington last week when asking whether the court would hear an application to fix the minimum wage of women employees in private hotels about October 18 or 19, or else to bear an application for the ratification of the agreement come to before the Conciliation Council between the licensed hotelkeepers and their employees about the same time. There was no possibility of an agreement being reached in the private hotel workers’ case, lie said. Air J. Roberts, who appeared for the workers, expressed surprise at the haste of the employers, and said that reasonable time, should he given for an agreement to ho come to. suggesting a fixture after the middle of November. The workers, wore not dodging the issue in applying for the hearing at the later date. On the suggestion of Afr Justice Frazer, an application for a hearing on October 19 will bo filed by Air AFonntjoy to amend the present private hotel wages for female employees in conformity with the new licensed hotel women’s rates, the amended rates of pay to come into force on October 24. If this were, done on an order made by consent, the interest of neither party to bo prejudiced, the application would be taken at AA cl lington some time in November.

DAY LABOUR OR CONTRACT. “ It appears to me that the commission has not gone very deeply into the Public Works Department’s methods of carrying out public works undertakings,” stated the general secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union, Air Arthur Cook, in an interview with the Wellington ‘ Dominion,’ when referring to the recommendation of the National Expenditure Commission advocating that public works bo done by .private contract and that the day labour system under the control of the department be abandoned. Air Cook said that had the_ commission investigated the Public Works Department’s methods it would have discovered that only a small percentage of the labour recniircd for railway and road construction, also for hydro-elec-tric works, was done by day labour, a major portion of the work being done under the co-operative contract system, and done efficiently and cheaply. ” I admit,” said Air Cook, “ that millions of pounds have been wasted on public works in Now Zealand, but wish it to be clearly understood that this money has not been wasted by the department’s administration methods. It has been wasted by Governments who have undertaken the commencement of expensive works that never should have started Works that should never have been commenced in New Zealand that come vividly before my mind are Arapuni hydro-electric works, Waitaki River scheme hydro-elcctricul works, the Rotorua-Tanpo railway, and the Palmerston North deviation. “ Two of the four works mentioned above were abandoned after hundreds of thousands of pounds had been wasted. The other two, which have already cost approximately £10,000,000, are not yet completed. As a matter ot fact, so far as Arapuni is concerned it never will he completed. These four works alone have cost, or will cost, New Zealand (before the two hydro-electric works are completed), somewhere in the vicinity of £15,000,000. A quartci of this sum would have been sufficient to complete two works that should have been completed, but arc now abandoned—namely, the Gisborne railway and the South Island Alain Trunk, and the last-named two abandoned works have already cost between live and six million pounds. “ After having the whore of the facts of these colossal blunders, and w'astc, we find a commission bringing down a report that can only offer one suggestion for future economy,—namely, to submit public works undertakings to private tenders What has been our experience in connection w.th letting Public Works undertakings to private contractors? First, we have the Okahukura tunnel, which was let- to a private contractor, who failed to complete it, and the Public Works Department was forced to do so at considerable extra cost. Next, Otira tunnel, another private contract, which the contractor failed to finish, and the Public Works Department again was compelled to come to the rescue and complete the work. Finally, we have Arapuni, let to a firm ot overseas contractors, who made a proper mess of the job, and New Zealand to-day is' paying through the nose for blunders made. “ I say, without fear of contradiction. tliat the Public Works Department’s method in building roads and railways under the co-operative contract system is far cheaper than any other method that can he adopted Practically the whole of the tunnels driven in New Zealand-during the past fifteen years have been done under the co-operative contract system, and if the commission require any proof as to the cost, let them compare the cost of driving tunnels in New Zealand with the cost for the same work in any other part of the world, and they will find onr costs a long way lower, and this also applies to railway construction formation work.”