THEATRE WORKERS

Grey River Argus, 31 March 1939, Page 2

THEATRE WORKERS

Complete Agreement

CONCILIATION COUNCIL AT GREYMOUTH.

Under the presidency of Mr JXI. J. Reardon Conciliation Commissioner, of Wellington, the discussion was resumed in Greymouth yesterday of a dispute between the Nelson and Westland Picture Theatre Employees’ Industrial Union of Workers’ and the West Coast Cinemas Ltd Hokitika, and others. Conciliation proceedings had been some time ago begun at Nelson.

The employers’ assessors were:—

Messrs V. C. tlughes (Greymouth), P. E. L. Renton (Hokitika), and J. B. Trudgeon (Christchurch). For the Union the assessors were: Mrs E. Creagh (Hokitika), Miss E. Fowler (Hokitika), Mr M. Hanrahan (Grey l mouth), Miss D. Turley (Cobden). Mr D. Faris (Greymouth), and Mr F. L. Turley (Greymouth). The employers cited in the dispute were Amalgamated Theatres Ltd., Nelson; Nelson Amusements, Nelson; H. Saunders, Nelson; Theatre Enterprises Westland Ltd, Westport; West. Coast

Amusements Ltd. Greymouth; and J C. Williamson Picture Corporation, Greymouth. Following yesterday’s deliberations an agreement was reached, and a complete recommendation has now been signed up and will go forward to the Arbitration Court to be made into an award as soon as possible. It was agreed that, the weekly hours of work should not exceed 36 in the case of ticket-takers, doorkeepers, ushers, and other theatre attendants (other than caretakers and cleaners). For ticket-sellers the hours were fixed at 32 per week. Hours of work for night shows were

fixed at two and a half nightly, and two hours for matinees, spruikers three hours per performance, and caretakers 40 hours per week. Wages were agreed upon as follows: —Adult males £4 10s. Youths and or females £2 6s. Performance workers: In cities or towns of populations of over 7,500, 5s 6d. per performance; 2,750 to 7.500 population,) 5s per performance; less than 2,750 population 4s 6d per performance. Night shows 6s per performance. Caretakers and cleaners: Male cleaners £4 6s per week; female cleaners £2 10s; casual male caretakers or cleaners 2s 4d per hour, females Is 9d per hour. Sunday meetings etc: One meeting 12s 6d, two meetings 17s 6d, three meetings or more £1 7s 6d. Annual holidays for employees on a weekly wage basis were agreed upon as follows: —Caretakers, 12 con-

tinuous working days after 12 months service; other workers, nine continuous working casual cleaners, one week’s holiday after each 12 months service, for which such emnlovee is naid on the average wcok-

ly rate earned during the year. For all work done. on iSlew Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, King’s Birthday, ' Labour Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day double ordinary rates shall be paid. For the three days on which employees do not usually work, Christmas Day, Good Friday and Anzac Day, no deduction shall be made from wages'during the week in which those days fall. Overtime pay-1 ments are to be made at the rate of time and a half for the first three! hours, and thereafter double time. Uniforms are to be supplied and laundered by the employers. The usual machinery' clauses relating to the right of entry to the union, underate workers and the provision that workers shall be members ofj tluUnion were agreed upon also, ’it is provided in the proposed award that it shall apply to all theatre attend-

ants, namely ticket-sellers, tickettakers, door-keepers, caretakers, cleaners, ushers, monitors, barrier men, escape door attendants, spruikers and commissars in the Nelson and Westland Industrial Districts. Sports Bodies: The provisions of the Nelson and Westland award shall be deemed to be embodied in this award for the purpose of binding all Boxing and Wrestling Associations and Skating Rink Proprietors and other Sports Bodies hereto, until such time as a new award is made to cover these and other sports bodies. Wages are to be retrospective as from December 16, 1938, and the award is to remain in force for a period of 12 months from the flate of the making of the award by the Arbitration Court