CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18354, 11 March 1920, Page 9

CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

FUKNITOTtE TRADES DISPUTE. An industrial diapute between the Christchiucli Federated Furniture Trades Union and the employers was before the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr W. H. Saggar) yesterday. Tho employees' assessors wero Messrs E. Arch bold, J. A. Black and P. O'Connell, with Mr F. Cooper as thoir agent. Messrs A. Eickhoff, D. It. Kennedy and A. H. Scales were the union's assessors, Mr Kennedy explained that an agreement had been come to between the employers and tho employees in Wellington and he had thought it would bocomo a Dominion award. It was assumed that the Chrißtchurch workers would af,?eo to this. However, it was subsequently stated that, as the Chrifitc'jurch Uniou wra not represented at tho Wellington conference, and as the Christchuroh conditions called for «, different agreement, a new award would be applied for locally. He did not want it to be thought that ho wished to Rv> back on the Wellington agreement, but the Christchurch Union had refused to strike his name off the list of assessors. Possibly, however, tho employers would agree to some variation of the Wellington agreement.

Mr Cooper saig that tho employers' counterproposals were in terms of the Wellington agreement. They would really have liked to contest that but such aotion would now be useless. They wero certainly not disposed to yield any moro than that contained in the Wellington agreement.

The parties then retired to consider the position seDaratoly. Upon returning, tho union's assessors announced that they were willing to si£jn up to the Wellington agreement, on the understanding that the new conditions oamo into force on March 1 ar.d continued for two ye*ra.