ARBITRATION COURT

Evening Star, Issue 26030, 19 February 1947, Page 10

ARBITRATION COURT

HEARING OF BUILDERS' DISPUTE Yesterday afternoon the Arbitration Court—Mr Justice Tyndall, Messrs W. Cecil Prime (employers’ representative) and A. L. Monteith (workers’ representative)—was engaged in hearing the Otago Builders and General Labourers’ dispute. The workers claimed a weekly wage of £6 Is Bd, their claim having. been amended to the rate granted to the rest of the labourers throughout New Zealand. The provision of protective clothing for steel construction workers was also sought. His Honour, Mr Justice Tyndall, reserved his decision. Mr It. Mclntyre appeared for the applicants, the Otago Builders and General Labourers’ industrial Union of Workers, while Mr A. S. Cookson and Mr A. Ross appeared for the Dunedin Builders and Contractors’ Industrial Union of Employers and the various other employers who were parties to the dispute. The employers had offered 2s 9d an hour, together with special extra rates and travelling time, said Mr Cookson.

Mr Ross submitted that it was impracticable to have a weekly wage, including extra payments and an allowance for travelling time. The employers would prefer to pay travelling allowances and extra pay for dirty, heavy work whenever necessary and to all employees entited to it. This was the present practice, and there would be great difficulty in obtaining labour for dirty, heavy work or for jobs that entailed travelling if the extra remuneration were already included in the flat weekly wage.

No objection was raised to providing protective clothing to men regularly employed on steel work, added Mr Ross, but a considerable outlay would be entailed in making this provision for big teams employed casually.. At present such workers received a special rate of pay.

It was agreed by the parties that the term of the new award should expire on December 9, 1947, so that the workers would have opportunity to participate in the proposed _ new combined industries’ award, which, it was hoped, would cover the whole of the Dominion.