INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 December 1940, Page 8

INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES

SHIFT WORKERS’ PAY APPEAL TO FULL COURT [per press association.] DUNEDIN, December 9. Mr. Justice Kennedy has given judgment on a case of importance to industry in the Dominion. The point which His Honor had to decide was whether a firm which, in order to fulfil its orders, decides to employ another shift has to pay workers on the day shift an extra 3/- a shift. He decided that the extra 3/- a shift had to be paid. In the first instance, John James Grant, a wool carder, appealed against the decision of the Magistrate in an action he brought against Ross and Glendining, Ltd., in the Magistrate’s Court for extra payment for shift work under the terms of the Woollen Mills Labour Suspension Order, 1940. The Magistrate dismissed the claim. His Honor, on the other’ hand, upheld the appeal. In his judgment His Honour said: “It may seem anomalous to some that the worker should receive an additional 3/- a shift, simply because another set of workers is doing the same work within a period of 24 hours and that, if the defendant company discontinued night work, the plaintiff would cease to be entitled to 3/- extra a shift, and that before the suspension order, night work might be carried on under the award. These considerations, however, cannot prevail against the terms of the order.” Ross and Glendining had given notice to appeal to the Appeal Court against this decision, but as another case on similar lines, with a different plaintiff, is set down for hearing, it has been agreed that this action should be brought before the Full Court, which will consist, in this instance, of the Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers), Mr. Justice Kennedy, and another Judge, probably, Mr. Justice Northcroft. The Court will sit in Dunedin on Wednesday week. The parties have agreed to accept the decision of the Full Court as conclusive. It will then not be necessary to take any further proceedings before the Appeal Court. It is understood that advantage will be taken of the sitting in Dunedin to hear a Christchurch case arising out of the award. This will be the first occasion, it is believed, on which the Full Court will sit in Dunedin. WAGE INCREASE WLLINGTON, December 10. In Conciliation proceedings, a complete agreement was reached on the basis of the employers’ offer of 4/increase all round in wages, in addition to the five per cent, granted by the Arbitration Court general order, to employees of the Colonial Sugar Company. It was the first case in the past year in which an increase in pay had been offered. The reason stated is to bring the wage schedule into line with existing conditions. A complete agreement with slightly increased wages was also reached in the case of the match factory employees at Wellington.

TIMBER MILLS’ CLOSING AUCKLAND, December 9. The statement made in Auckland that two timber mills in the King Country which are producing for the manufacture of butter boxes were 'to be closed down for the holidays as from December 13 was refuted by an official of the firm (Ellis and Burnand) when the report was referred to him. He said that there was no truth in the allegations, and the mills would be working as usual until December 20, the Friday before Christmas.

Arrangements had been made with the men to observe the holiday period from December 20 to January 6, when the mills would reopen. The men did not want to start work on Monday, December 23, and their wishes had been met. All the men employed at the mills would receive their pay for the three statutory holidays. HARBOUR BOARDS’ EMPLOYEES WELLINGTON, December 9. For the second time within a few days, Judge Tyndall, in the Court of Arbitration, expressed disapproval of the fact that parties in a dispute had come to the court without being in complete agreement as to the matters in dispute. The present case was in connection with harbour boards, and after the hearing of a preliminary point, it was adjourned till to-morrow. The preliminary point was raised in the applications on behalf of some other unions for exemption of their members from the harbour boards Employees’ Awards. The Judge also expressed disatisfaction ith non-appearance of Counsel, when four appeal cases in connection with the harbour boards’ employees award, were called. Advocates explained that these matters were not their concern, and had been left to counsel to attend to.

WAR AND WORKING HOURS. AUCKLAND, December 10. An opinion that master builders and employers’ associations were using the I war situation, in an endeavour to extend the working week, was expressed at a meeting of the executive and officials of 14 Auckland building trades unions. The question of the extension of the wor.king week was fully discussed. A resolution was carried the meeting to uphold the decision of the Minister of Labour, in a refusal to a Wellington deputation to extend working hours in the building industry on a flat rate basis., A second resolution endorsed the principles embodied in the report of the sub-committee appointed by Cabinet to consider ways and means of meeting the Government’s requirements of housing construction and other State buildings, which were endorsed by the National Federation of Labour.