PRINTING TRADES DISPUTE

Evening Star, Issue 25469, 27 April 1945, Page 3

PRINTING TRADES DISPUTE

OUTSTANDING POINT IS CLASSIFICATION

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, April 26. When the combined printing trades dispute came before the Court of Arbitration to-day it was disclosed that agreement had been reached on all matters except classification.

In Conciliation Council in November last the employers .agreed to a modification of jthe classification clause to include in class I. towns with a population of more than 2,000 (the previous class 11. related to towns with a population of 6,000 and under), which would have meant an increase in wages for the clay workers affected as follows: —For linotype operators, 10s ,a week; for machinists and hand compositors, 12"'s 6d a week; these rates to be superimposed by an increase in the night allowance from 10s to 15s a week. This was not ratified by the court, which, following its pronouncement of March 17 specifying the standard rates of wages, referred the whole dispute hack to the Council of Conciliation.

As a result of the altered circumstances since November, 1944, arising primarily from the court's standard wage pronouncement, the employers at the second!" Conciliation Council hearing declined to agree to the modification of the classification clause on the ground that the increases in the case of workers in towns of a population exceeding 2,000 and under 6.000 would be 16s 8d a week for linotype operators and 19s 2d for machinists and hand compositors, both amounts increased by the court's two cost-of-living bonuses.' This, it was contended, would be inconsistent with the court's pronouncement.

Mr K. Baxter appeared for the work? ers at the hearing and Mr E. W. Clarkson for the employers.

Mr Baxter submitted that the proposed alteration to the classification did not in any sense make for a breaking of the policy of economic stabilisation. It did seek, however, to a certain bending so far as the printing industry was concerned. The, court reserved its decision.