INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17933, 2 November 1918, Page 10

INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE.

THRESHING MILL WORKERS. CONCILIATION FAILS. A sitting of the Conciliation Council was held yesterday to lieai an industrial dispute between the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral labourers' Industrial Union of Workers and the threshing millowners. Mr W. H. Hagger (Conciliation Commissioner) presided, and the assessors were as tollow:—For the union, Messrs P. Leahy, J. P. Bashford and C. E. Baldwin; for the millowners, Messrs G. Sheat, F. Lill and J. W. Oliver. Mr C. Grayncller attended as representative of the Canterbury Agrijjultural and Pastoral Labourers' TJiuon. The procee-iiags were a continuation of private deliberations held by the parties about a month ago. The union's claims differed on some points materially from the terms of the old award, which came into force on May 18,1914. Under "hoars of work," the union applied for the working period to be between 6 a.m. and S p.m.. except on Saturdays, when the hours shall be between 6 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. A number of provisions were made in regard to threshing from the stack. Under the old award the hours' clause read as follows:—"The hours of shall be left to the discretion of<the employer, but a worker shall not be required to work by moonlight cr artificial light, except in case of emergency, when one hour shall be allowed."

The union wages claim was as follows: —"With the exception of the engine-driver, the following shall he the minimum rate of wages payable to each and every man' or youth employed on or about, or in any connection, directly or indirectly, with the threshing combine:—(a) Threshing grass, seed, la 9d an nour And found; (b) threshing wheat and all cereals, la Pd an hour and found. The feeder to be paid 2s 3d an hour and found for all time engaged or. mill or engine."' The old award minimum for workers employed by the hour on thresliiag mills was Is 3d an hour. Under the old award no youth under eighteen years of age could be employed on threshing; work. The union, in its claim, asked that one man be employed on the water cart. The owners, in counter proposals, applied for the insertion of a clause providing for employment of a youth not under sixteen years of age, or an elderly man. as waterman, at not less than £2 a week and found.

The millowners submitted counterproposals practically in line with the old award, except in the waterman clause above-mentioned and in wages and piecework rates. The owners offered Is 3d an hour as a minimum, together with a war bonus of 9d an hour, to continue until six months after_ tho conclusion of the war. In the piecework clause the owners offered a war bonus of 6s per 1000 bushels; bagmen to receive Is per 1000 bushels extra. Considerable discussion took place on the hours question, the union assessors contending that fixed hours of work could be adopted with advantage, while the milliowner assessors disputed, that point,.claiming that it was only possible to work mills in a give-and-take manner as circumstances required. No finality was reached, the parties being completely at variance in the matter. The wages clause proved another stumbling block,-the union seeking an increase in the form of a flat rate, and the owners offering it by way of war bonus. The owners' objection to a flat rate increase was that after the war the price of wheat would drop and the mill-workers would expect the standing flat rate to continue. The bonus could be dropped, but it would require fresh Court proceedings to alter n flat rate. The union assessors claimed that the p. r eat increase paid to farmers for their wheat justified an increased flat rate to, the threshing-mill workers. t As the parties could not agree on this and other points of importance, itwas agreed to refer the case to the Arbitration Court.