WORK AND WAGES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14977, 24 April 1909, Page 9

WORK AND WAGES.

GENERAL LABOURERS. RESOLUTION BY THE ASHBURTON COUNTY COUNCIL. At a special meeting of the Ashburbori County Council yesterday, convened for the purpose of considering the question of the Christchurch General Labourers' Union industrial dispute, Mr John Lambie (chairman) presided, and the following resolution was carried unanimously:—" That, in the opinion ! of this Council, the wages claimed by the Christchurch General Labourers' Union are excessive, and the conditions of employment set forth in the statement prepared, by the Union inapplicable to the circumstances attending the employment of labourers by this Council; that the preference to unionists clause is objectionable in itself, and . would in practice prove unworkable so' far as this Council is concerned, and inasmuch as this Council has always been able without difficulty to effect amicable arrangements with the labourers employed by it, both as to rate of wages and condition of employment, the Ashburton County Council ought to be excluded from the operation of any awards which may be made by the Court of Arbitration in respect of tb.9 claims now set up by the Union." The chairman was appointed agent and representative at the hearing of the dispute on April 28, at Christ* church, and it was agreed that he should act on behalf of the road boards in the county, provided letters of.ap* pointment were received to that effect. It was stated at the meeting that the present dispute was a sequel to th© farm labourers' demands which failed before the Court. The employees of all the local bodies in Ashburton were working under satisfactory wages and conditions, and there was no dissatisfaction among them.

[Pee Press Association.] AUCKLAND, April 23. The Conciliation Council recently asked Mr Justice Sim whether tie procedure of the Builders', Contractors and General Labourers, in applying for an award to cover all general labourers, irrespective of particular trades, was in accordance with the spirit of the Act. The Court held that the award must apply to some particular industry, and could not cover general labourers, nor in any circumstances could the award cover labourers employed by private individuals not connected with a particular trade. A dispute with each class of employers must be kept separate, and where the award exists for any trade, the labourers' wages should be included. .. NAPIER, April 23. A meeting of the Employers' Association passed the following resolution:"That this Association fully endorses the motion passed by the Employers'' Federation condemning the present attitude of the president of the Arbitration Court in imposing greater responsibilities on employers in regard to the employment of workers under the preference to members of unions clauses m awards; also that all employers should strongly resist the inclusion of the preference clauses in future awards."