Flour Mill Workers

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 62, 15 March 1938, Page 4

Flour Mill Workers

APPLICATION FOR AWARD

To consider an application for an award for the workers employed in five flourmills, a Conciliation Council sitting whs held in Palmerston North yesterday. The application was made by the Wellington Industrial District Flour Mill Employees’ Union, and the employers cited were Hoddef and Tolley, Ltd. (Feilding), Hodderson Bros. (Marton), Manawatu Flourmills, Ltd. (Palmerston North), Rowe and Son (Wellington) and Southern Cross Flour Mills, Ltd. (Wanganui).

Mr M. J. Reardon (Conciliation Commissioner) presided. Assessors for the applicant union wero Messrs A. E- A. Sporlo (Feilding), L. 11. J. Donkin (Palmerston North), A. Neil (Feilding) an.l R. J. Reardon (Wellington), while Messrs B. L. Ebbett, A. P. Stuart and S. I. McKenzie, all of Palmerston North, appeared for the millers.

The union asked for a 40-hour week, to be worked in eight-hour shifts on the first five days of the week. Wages sought ranged from £6 10s for a miller to £5 Is 4d for the lowest classifications. Overtime was claimed at the rate of time and a-half for the first three hours and thereafter double time, with double-tiine rates on Saturday mornings and a minimum of four hours. Ten working days’ annual holiday was sought, plus the following as recognised holidays: New Years’ Day, January 2, Good Frida}', Easter Monday, Anzac Day, Labour Day, Sovereign’s Birthday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Anniversary Day. In their counter-proposal, the respondents said they objected to the union’s proposals and wero not prepared to negotiate a separate agreement unless it was in the terms of the Northern, Canterbury, Otago and Southland award, which the respondents were prepared to agree to operate until it was replaced by another award, this agreement to bo contingent on the union including the respondents in the next Dominion award. Mr R. J. Reardon said the union was not prepared to accept the present Dominion award, because it had been made before arbitration Court’s pronouncement as to wages. Tho union would accept only an increase on the Dominion award.

The millers were not prepared to give the increase, stated Mr McKenzie. At present they would have to carry the increase themselves.-

With no agreement possible on wages, it was decided to adjourn to a date to be fixed, to allow the union to make application to the Arbitration Court for a direction as to whether it would consider an award based on the three-dis-tricts award or on the rates now being awarded by the Court in other cases.