THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 21292, 22 December 1932, Page 15

THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

[By J.S.S.]

Brief contributions on matters with reference to the Labour Movement are invited. CARPENTERS’ NEW AGREEMENT. The workers’ assessors apparently had full powers to effect a settlement in the dominion award dispute between the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners and the New Zealand Federated Builders’ and Contractors’ Industrial Association of Employers. This much can be gauged from the fact that a full agreement was reached without any further reference of the employers’ proposals back for consideration by the individual unions. The employers’ original proposals were for a reduction in wages from 2s Id an hour to Is 103 d. This offer was the subject of a ballot among unionists in recent weeks, and was very definitely rejected by them. -Delegates to last •week’s Conciliation Council were instructed under ho circumstances to accept Is 10|d. It was commonly felt that under the present unsettled conditions things should be left as they were. It was considered that the employers could not guarantee that there would be more work at Is 103 d than at 2s Id, and the employees would not expect more. Any alteration in the wage rate could not have any effect on the amount of work available. In regard to overtime, unionists were definite that double rates should be paid for holidays, as at present. The general feeling was that nothing less than 2s an hour should be paid to journey men. As was announced last week, the employers increased their offer from Is 103 d to 2s, and this was accepted by the workers’ assessors. The employers also increased the improvers’ rate from Is 4§d to Is sd, which was also accepted. At the hearing the employers said that they were prepared to concede double rates of pay on Sundays, New Year’s Day, Good Friday Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Easter Saturday, Easter Monday, and Labour day, provided that the employees accepted overtime at the rate of time and a-quarter instead of ' time and a-half as at present. This the workers’ assessors agreed to, thus clearing up all the clauses in dispute. • * « • PUBLIC WORKS CHRISTMAS-NEW YEAR VACATION. Standard public works in New Zealand closed down as from to-day until Tuesday, January 10. Certain conditions, much on the lines of those laid down in former years, govern the pay-

ment for holidays to workers. Only those men with two months’ continuous service or over are entitled to payment for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. No man can bo paid for these holidays in advance, but the department agreed to men with two years’ continuous service or over to their credit being paid six days’ annual leave before they leave for their holidays. A measure up is to bo made during the week commencing January 16, and (a) all men paid not later than the end of the following week for work done before and after the Christmas and New Year vacation; (b) men with two years’ continuous service or over paid for the balance of their annual leave; (c) men with two months’ continuous service or over (including those with over two years’ service) paid for three statutory holidays. Two further pays are to bo made between the January pay and the financial year. « * * * DISPUTE SETTLED. With slight modifications of the original proposals, a complete agreement has been reached in Conciliation Council in the dispute between the Wellington City Corporation and the linesmen and linesmen’s assistants. The council sat last week, but an adjournment was granted on the application of the union in order that the employers’ proposals might be submitted to its members. The proceedings were held in committee, but it is announced that when the adjournment was taken the employers’ offer of wages was 1s 10R1 for linesmen, and Is 7RI for linesmen’s assistants. The employers offered a 45hour week, with 8-i hours five days a week, and 3| hours on one day a week, to be worked between 7.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. The employers also asked for a new clause covering trouble and emergency men, the hours to be varied, and worked between 8 a.m. and midnight, with a limit of 83 hours per day. The employers asked that overtime should bo paid for at the rate of time and ahalf. The union sought overtime at time and a-half for the first three hours, thereafter double time. In regard to suburban work, the employers asked that the clause in the award be amended from two tramway sections to two and a-half miles. A complete agreement was reached. The hours were made 45 a week. A new clause, was inserted covering trouble and emergency men, permitting them to be worked between 8 a.m. and 12 midnight, with a limit of 8) hours per day, the number of trouble and emergency men not to exceed six. Wages were fixed at Is IQJd per hour for linesmen, and Is BRI for linesmen’s assistants. Overtime rates were fixed at time and a-half. Holidays remain

as under the previous award. In regard to suburban work, an alteration was made by substituting two miles from the Town Hall for two tramway sections. The other clauses in the award wore accepted without alteration. When the agreement was submitted to tho union members’ secret ballot it was accepted. It is to be made into an industrial award, and will operate from January 4, 1933, to January 3, 1934. • * • • UNION REORGANISATION. The greatest problem confronting trades unionism in New Zealand, “ the reorganisation of the movement to meet the changed conditions through the virtual, abolition of the Arbitration Court,” is being attacked constructively as far as Christchurch is concerned (states “ Observer,” in the Christchurch 1 Star ’). - Already two meetings have been held, at which the executives of many trade unions were present, to discuss the possibility of organising one central body for the control of the movement in Canterbury. The meeting, which was held last week, appointed a special committee to draw up a constitution and rules for the proposed district council. These rules and constitution will bo presented to the meeting to be held in January. The attendances at these meetings and tho interest shown in the matter under discussion indicate that the leaders of the trade union movement realise that if trade unionism is to be a force in industrial life progressive changes must be made both in the structure and organisation of the trade unions. * * • • REDUCTION OF WORKING HOURS. Signor Giovanni Fiat, president of the Fiat, in an interview granted to the American United Press, stated his argument in favour of a reduction of working hours in the following manner ; “ Let us imagine the total mass of 100 million working men (or the gross figure involving Europe, America, and Australia), of which twenty-five million are out of work at present. In order to put these men back to work we ought to reduce the working schedule by one-third, so that it may be possible to get from 100 million workers the same production which we are getting now from only seventy-five million. We should, therefore, go back from fortyeight hours to thirty-six hours weekly schedule and pay for tho thirty-six hours the same wages as forty-eight hours. In other words, we increase tho pay by 33 1-3 per cent. ‘‘Still figuring on an average of one dollar per day, we will have a greater pay in wages, both on the aggregate

and daily of twenty-five million dollars. Through this sum, the real and daily increase of the purchasing power will be evident, and within a year it will 1 be sufficiently high to enable us to make a good recovery. “ These twenty-five million workers unemployed, who sustain their lives through public or private charity, are in want of everything, and by going back to work and earning again they will promptly buy the prime necessities. We will thus have an increase in consumption, and, in consequence, production. Once the stocks are used up they will have to be replenished. This would result, at a certain moment, in the disappearance of unemployment, and in demand for labour, which would in turn mean an extension of the working schedule and increase in the daily and weekly salary. This crisis is complex on account of varied factors, financial, monetary, and tariff making. The war debts problem, too, affects the whole situation seriously.” Signor Agnelli insists that the first step to be taken to overcome the crisis is to solder the break between production and consumption. The war debts, however, he urges, are like a millstone around the necks of the nations, and he favours “ wiping the slate clean.” * • ' ft • WAGES REDUCTION. An attempt was made by Cr 11. Semple, M.P., at a meeting last week of the Wellington City Council, to get the council to rescind the resolution carried recently by which the wages of tradesmen m the tramway workshops were reduced from 2s 3d an hour to 2s Id. His motion was lost by a large majority. ' In moving it, Cr Semple said that he had thought the council had finished with the business of reducing wages. He had been rather surprised, therefore, to find that during his absence from the last meeting it had been decided to make the reduction from 2s 3d to 2s Id. Cr R. M‘Keen seconded the motion. The Mayor said that a number of private firms had come to an agreement with the union by which the men were to receive Is lid an hour. The council’s rate of 2s id was, therefore, Jd above the old award .rate, and 2d above the rate fixed by the new agreement. The position was, really, that the council, by undertaking as much work ns possible, was employing more men than were needed. If the rate wore 2s 3d the council would have no other alternative than to dispense with some of the men. Cr W. H. Bennett; I think if the men are wise they will take this 2s Id without any hesitation. In the building trade all over the dominion the men have agreed to take 2s an hour. I think our men should agree to 2s Id and say no more about it. The motion was lost by 12 votes to 3.