PRINTING AGREEMENT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 263, 5 October 1936, Page 2

PRINTING AGREEMENT

HOURS AND WAGES. COMPLETE AGREEMENT. WELLINGTON, Oct. 5. Complete agreement in the printing industry dispute was reached on Saturday by a Conciliation Council which met last Wednesday in continuation of its proceedings in June. The settlement determines the conditions of employment in one of the largest industries in the Dominion, as the two awards under review apply to newspaper printing, and publishing, commercial printing, manufacture of stationery and associated industrial activities. The only matter referred to tho Arbitration Court was the preference clause.

Mr -S. Ritchie (conciliation commissioner) presided. The representatives of the employers were Messrs E. W. Clarkson (agent), J. M. Hardcastle, A. Dennison, B. C. Jacobs, W. J. Palamontain, R. H. Billens, H. Harris and H. E. Bell, and those of tliejworkers were Messrs C. H. Chapman (agent;. K. Baxter, J. Mclnarney, W. -A. D. Groves. E. J. Patton, P. Truscott, F. J. McCallum and S. Anderson.

A long sitting of the council was held last June, and agreement was then reached on most of the machinery clauses of the two awards. The proceedings were adjourned pending a decision by the Court of Arbitration regarding the hours to be worked under the Factories Amendment Act. Judgment was given by the Court that a reduction of the hours prescribed by the existing awards was impracticable, and an order was made permitting employers in the industry to work 44 hours a week, with 42 for certain classes of day workers and for all night workers. The question of hours of work occupied tlie whole of the first two days’ proceedings of the council. The workers’ representatives strongly pressed their view that tlie hours should be modified, and after a long discussion the possibility of agreement was discovered by their acknowledgment ot the principle that, in view of the complexity and the variety of conditions in the several branches of the industry, it would be wiser to step down the hours, instead of attempting to enfoice a drastic alteration immediately, ihe employers then presented a written proposal to reduce the hours for all workers in Class I towns (those with populations of over 6000) by two steps, m October and April, each of one hour in the case of the 44-hour workers and of half an hour for tlie 42-hour workers, the prescribed weekly wages to be paid for tlie shorter week, the ®niplojci to have the right to use the additional hours at ordinary rates of pay. Jue offer proposed that workers engaged in newspaper production should work six days a week and other workers live days, the maximum hours a day to be nine, to enable a five-day week to be worked. , , , , This offer was prefaced by a declaiation that the employers were desirous of giving the workers in the industry the benefits, as far as practicable, or tlie recently-declared industrial policy of the country and therefore made this concession. As a result of a long discussion the proposal was amended by the exclusion from its operation of stationarv manufacturing and by making tli reduction to 42 and 41 hours respectively as from October 8, and also by limiting to 40 hours per annum the total added timo that may be worked at ordinary rates.. These provisions were incorporated in the and a memorandum was approved recording the employers’ declaration of policy and the consent of both parties to the issue of a further order l>y the Court under the Factories Act fixing the hours of work m accordance with them. The employers also agreed to recommend all employers m the smaller towns to reduce actual working hours as far as possible, m order both to gn e their employees the immediate benefit and also to adjust (heir businesses to the possibility of a compulsory reduction *bv further legislation. The agreement also preserves the former provision for a 10-hour day in weekly and certain country newspaper offices, and one of the new clauses permits a idhour dav in each week for publishing workers, who aro brought into the award for the first time. WAGES SCALE.

Warms were fixed at the rates for the two classifications ruling before the reduction in 1931, the only increase being that promised by the employers in June for certain classes of stereotvpers and rotary machinists. Holidays were fixed at one week annually, toaether with the eight statutory days, and one additional day providing for Anniversary Day. a holiday previously allowed in certain sections, or its equivalent. A. new definition of night work was adopted for both awards. The agreement will come into force in the first working week in each factory commencing after October 8, and wil continue until August 31, 19<w. At the conclusion of the proceedings, the commissioner congratulated the assessors on the success of their efforts to effect a complete settlement He acknowledged that although he was naturally optimistic, his impression after hearing the parties express their views at the outset was that there was verv little prospect of their reaching agreement. Nevertheless they had done so by overcoming very great difficulties, as was apparent from the fact that two whole clays had been devoted to one question, that of hours, and the proceedings were probably the finestexample of conciliation in Ins experience since, by the arguments and illustrations presented by both sides the opposing views had been reconciled, and a complete settlement had been reached. On behalf of the workers’ representatives, Mr Chapman said that, as a result of the reasonable attitude of the employers an agreemtn had been reached which lie would defend against the most critical members of their organisation. Although the . workers lioped shortly to achieve their objective of a 40-hour week, he was confident that the agreement would he recognised as a genuine effort by the employers to meet the wishes or trie workers and as a result a contented spirit would he restored in the industry.

STATIONERY INDUSTRY

Per Press Association

AVELLINGTON, Oct. 5. The working hours for persons employed in stationery manufacturing will he regulated according to the agreement in the printing dispute by the provisions generally applying to commercial printing. The only special provision for this section of the industry i« that the limitation of total added tinio a t ordinary rates to 40 hours per annum does not apply.