Complete Agreement In Printing Dispute

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 235, 5 October 1936, Page 7

Complete Agreement In Printing Dispute

READJUSTMENT OF HOURS OF WORK Per Press Association, WELLINGTON, Last Night. A complete agreement in the printing industry dispute was concluded on Saturday by the 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 tho two awards under review apply to the newspaper printing and publishing, commercial printing, manufacture of stationery and associated industrial activities.

The only matter referred to the Arbitration Court was the preference clause. A long sitting of the Council was held last June and an agreement was then reached on most of the machinery clauses of the two awards. The proceedings were adjourned pending a de-. eision 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 aud an order was made permitting employers in the industry to work 44 hours per week with 42 for certain classes of day workers and for all night workers. The question of tho hours of work occupied tho whole of the first two days of the proceedings of tho Council. The workers' representatives strongly pressed their view that the hours should be modified and after a long discussion the possibility of an agreement was discovered by their acknowledgment cf the principle that, in view of the complexity and variety of the conditions in several branches of tho industry, it would be wiser to step down the hours instead of attempting to enforce a drastic alteration immediately. The employers thou presented a written proposal to reduce the hours for all workers in towns with populations of over 0000 by two steps: In October and April each of one hour in the case of the 44-hour workers and of half an hour for the 42-hour workers, the prescribed weekly wages to bo paid for tho shorter week, the employers to have the right to the use of the additional hours at ordinary rates of pay. The offer proposed that the workers engaged in newspaper production should work six days a week and the other workers five days, the maximum hours per day to be nine to enable a live-day week to be worked.

As the result of a. long discussion the proposal was amended by the exclusion from its operation of stationery manufacturing and by making the reduction to 42 and 41 hours respectively as from October 8, and also by limiting to 40 hours per annum the total added time that might be worked at ordinary rates. These provisions were incorporated in an agreement.

The employers also agreed to recommend all employers in smaller towns to reduce the actual working hours as far as possible in order both to give thenemployees the immediate benefit and also to adjust their businesses to the possibility of a compulsory reduction by further legislation.

The agreement also preserves the former provision for a ten-hour day in weekly and certain country newspaper offices and one of the new clauses pei mits a tea-hour day in each week for publishing workers, who are brought into the award for the first time.

The wages 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 stereotypers and rotary machinists. The holidays were fixed at ono week annually together with the eight statutory days and one additional day providing for Anniversary Day 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 S and will continue until August 31, 1937. At the conclusion of the proceedings th. 6 Commissioner (Mr Eitchio) congratulated the assessors on the success of their efforts to effect a complete settlement. On behalf of the workers’ representatives, Mr C. H. Chapman, M.P., said as a result of the reasonable attitude of the employers an agreement had been reached which he would, defend against the most critical members of their organisation Although the

workers hoped shortly to achieve tbeir objective of a 40-hour week, he was confident that the agreement would be recognised as a genuine effort by the employers to meet the wishes of the workers and as a result a contented spirit would bo restored in the industry. Gold Mine Workers to Resume Per Press Association. GREYMOUTH, Last Night. A representative meeting of th 6 Dredge and Gold Mine Workers’ Union here to-day decided that the workers at the Golden Sands claim shall resume to-morrow r under the present conditions and that an endeavour bo made to have the terms of the agreement, which was reached in Conciliation Council here recently, referred back from the Court to the Conciliation Council. Local Bodies’ Drivers’ Dispute Adjourned Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Last Night. The Conciliation Council considering tho New Zealand local bodies' drivers’ dispute sat a'll day on Saturday. Although some minor clauses wore agreed on, no agreement was reached on the hours of work and wages. At the request of the employees’ assessor an adjournment until October 20 was taken. The respondents include borough and county councils, town roads and yiyer, drainage, harbour and electric-power boards. The scope of the award is to be Northern, Taranaki, Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westlana, Canterbury, Otago and Southland. It was agreed that casual employees receive a minimum of four consecutive hours’ pay, that overtime be worked only in emergency and be paid at the rate, of time and a-half.