United Federation of Labor

Maoriland Worker, Volume 6, Issue 243, 13 October 1915, Page 5

United Federation of Labor

N«ttenol President: J. DOWGRAY, Granity, Westport. Gen-ratSepTOfwry-TreasuTer: H. HUNTER, Trades Hall, Christchurch

THE ARBITRATION COURT

The Employers Putting on the Brake

The enclosed letter which appeared in the "Dnnedin Star"' of 4th instant deserves much wider publicity than it js likely to receive from our capita.}-istically-rajpded newspapers- The writer, Mr- Malcolm Stevenson, ,s "• contractor jn a large way of business, ahd bis letter throws a ray of hpiicst sunshine on tP the methods of the inner ppuncjjs of the Employers' Asspcjatiop. It appears that all has not bepn going well far them in som o recent awards ; and certain gentlem en set about to chepkmate this. One Wi ?y adopted was to forward to the Judge a pfiticism pf certain awards; another was requesting Mr. Dutbie to apply for two mont'is' leavp of absence, so that Mr. Pryor might take np his ppsjtjpn pn tjie Cpurt with a. view tP putting the lirake pn tho Cpnrt- This VCqupgt Mr- Duthie cjeplinpd—as we woi}l4 expect an hoppurahle man to do —hfit placed his resignation at thfir • disposal. " AVp gather from Sir- Steven- ; son's letter that this has bepn apceptjeij," for at a meeting pf the Execiitive iqf the Otagp Emplpyers' Asoscjatiop, called, pot in accordance with the rpjes,. hut by telephone message, jt ivas decided tp relieve Mr. Scott from his duties as secretary of that Assncia.r t'lon fpr the, purppse of his securing i the possession of Assessor on the Arbir tration Court. Now I am not concerned with the employers treatment of tyr. Duthie,'nor'with the request ithat he.shopld sham illness, draw the I salary attaching to tl]e position while j pretending--tp be sjck, and allow the secretary of thp Employers' Asspcjatipn to take his pqsltiqn.on the Court, and draw n secpnd salary for sp sitting anpj' applying tho jirake, and also hjs travelling a)lowat|ce while applying the sand to U|c working parts. AA'hp ! whispered sabotage? I repeat, I an] pofc concerned with thp morality pf such methods, only m sp far as it affects the workers pf thjs country wj]p aro dependent ilßPft tho decisions of pijr Art)iti'ation Cpurt for a living for themselves an 4 their families. These gentjpm e n are <-qptjnually holding up their hands in pioHf horror at what they refer to as the appalling immorality pf the Tradp Upiqp mpvemejit} and, never tire reiterating; their p3gF e t that the ppor but hpnest wprk-prs are dqInded by thp lpaders whoni they so euphoniously describe as "paid agitators.'" These, gentlemen npw fcpqlly propose that a paid agjtatpr in'vPunodip, whpsp prpsept salary is £($0 per apuun.l, in addition vfl pprtain ptfipr salaried pqsitipH3, shall be to the ppsjtipn of member of the Court of Arbitration. This position is recognised as beipg semi-judicial, and the employers' propose (so that ho may be perfectly free and independent, .1 prosiime) tp thejr man to the extent fif P er aDH"!" B D 4 i n t' n way giia|antep hirrj £gqQ per aapwiTi apd travelling expenses at £1 per day. "\Vhat price paid'agitatprEi after thjs?; The trade unionists, will hayp tp h° ; carefql or their a,gjtatqrs Ji)}) be gpjng [pn strike. For fiprpo yp ar s. the gentleman whom the employer 3. PFPPflsed to hP n Pl*r held ppsitipps of secretary qf several employers' associations, and member of ppprt, and drew the peycraj salaries, atfcaphftli tp them. The prpppsa} to pay a pf thp Oquyt a n .additional salary frpni tlm funds 'qf t)l c Emplpyers' Assqciatiqn for his seryjeef pp t}}e Bepch jpqks suspipionsly Jikp the American method qf buying up t}ip Jvjcliciary. ' ' HIRAM HUNTER.

Tjip fpljpwiug is tho full text of afrletter to the I)unediu '•Star.'' Thp emphatics arp purs: EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATION AND * THE ARPITPATIOH COURT. ' (To thp Editor). V sir,—l beg leayp through' y<s«ip ; umns tp bring before the empjpye'rsjgf Otago thp dpjngs of the association executive during Wy term as a member thereof, as representative of the' Carriers' I )yas fpr six pipptlis. a niember of executive before I received aW3* notice pf meetings being held. After inqujr T ing if any meetings, were hejd, I was informed"-.that n]y name 'had been overlooked. After gctiirig notice; attending a meptipg pf two, I, a'ong wjth others, began *° the wisdom of Mr. Scptfc holding the dual position as secretary for thp Ota-go fSmployers' Asspciatipn and employers' representative op, the Arbitration Court. A committee was set U P t{> £ p into the question, and after several meetjngs it was decide*", thft r - Scott sjmuld reijnqujsh las ppsitipirpn the Arbitration Cfcturt afc thp PP C I tf th.® year 19J4 pn the following proposals:— 1. That Mr. Scott relinquish bis, position on the Arbitration Court at ljie pnd pf the year, arid devote, himself to thp work pf the association. 2. That Mr! Scott's salary be increased to £fJOO per annum; that he be permitted to Sparry on the other secretaryships at present hel4 by him, bufc that he'shall not take any pther work without the sanctiqn of the, Gfeneral Executive. 3. That thp association shall take over thp officp and office furniture, and ako pay thp typisto's salary. 4. Tho proposals to tako effect, as from the first day pf January. 1915. A fresh representative had then to bo found for the Arbitration Court. Mr. E. Jf. Duthja was waited on by the representatives of thp Qtagp Executive, aud asked if he, would take up the position, which, after some pressure, ho agreed to contest, and, as you are a warp, was finally'elected by a largo majority of tho different iinipns of employers throughout tlio Dominion. Things iicnfc along all riyl.'t for a shprt time. Tho first I knew of trouble ahead was when I got notice of a general meeting of the Otago Employers' Association te be held to consider tbe r i

alarming position the Arbitration Court were taking up in connection with the increase in wages with individual cases ; thnfc came before the Court. Then, i shortly afterwards, n meeting of the < Federation of Employers was called at Wellington on thp samo lines, when a . resolution was carried that two ro- ' presentatives from the Dunedin Executive should waib on Mr. Duthio and ask him to apply for leave of absence 1 for two months, and that Mr. ,I'ryor j should take up his position on .the I Court, and at the end of two months, ] IF IT AVAS FOUND THAT MR. PRYOR AVAS NOT ABLE TO> PUT < THE BRAKE ON THE COURT, Mr. j Duthio should then go back on to the j Court. This, I understand.. Mr. Duthio 1 refused to do, and scut in his resigna- s j tion. The annual. N jmecting of the fed- I oration dealt with Mr. Duthio's re- < . signation, and a few days ago a i resolution' was carried to ask the | i Employers' Association te allow I £ Mr. Scott-to accept, the position of cm-12 ployers' rep resent a tivo in 'pjaco of E Mr. puthie. A meeting of the pxecu- c tivp of the Qtago employers was called $ by telephone on Wednesday at 3 p.m., i which meeting I attended. Certain j routine business was gone through, and £ a motion was proppsed that Mr. Scott j bo relieved frpm bjs position as secre- \ tary to the association and 'allowed tp f take up his duties as employers' re- t preventative on the Arbitration Court j in place of Mr. Dutbie. £ At this stage I raised a point of ] I prder that the meeting had been called j Iby telephone at 11 that day, and that- j this business was pot urgent, that the t members of the executive, had a per- t feet right to know what business was { oqming before tliem, and to receive jj ■proper notice, according to Rule 12, |, which is the only rule bearing on inept-1 1 jngs of tlio executive —viz-, that seven j days' notice of such meetings shqijkl j ] bo given. Tho chairman did nofc rulop on the question himself, but put it, be- j; forp fhe meeting, which ruled that the | c mepting was in order. At this stage I j retired from the meeting, and I understand that it was decided to allow Mr. } Scott to relinquish his position as sec- T retary, and take up thp position as 3 employers' representative on thp Arbi- j tration Court, AND THAT THE SALARY PROVIDED BY THE GQVERN- i MENT OF £500 A YEAH FOR THE POSITION BE SUBSIDISED BY THE , EMPLOYERS OF THE DOMINION TO' THE EXTENT OK £830 PER 1 YEAR. t To mo the whole thing seems to have { been cut and dried to get rid of our -j present representative on the court, j for if you look at tho annual report of j the Auckland Employers' Association , (3Qth June, 1914), you will"find in a « speech made by Mr. Jaggs (senior vice- , president) that fault was then found £ wit.fi the Arbitration Court. In speak- ( ing to tho adoption of the annual report, s iClr. Jaggs stated that in looking over j thp award imposed by the Court of \ Arbitration on one of our local trades afc their last session in Auckland he found that tho minimum weekly wage had been inpreased from 50s. tp 605., ] the Court's memorandum attached to { tlio said award stilting "tliafc thp wages ] had been increased so as to bring them j info something like conformity with j other skilled ' trades. This "levelling ( un process" in the instance here qxiot- j od meant an increase of 20 per cent. ] on tho wages of the lowest grado of ( worker, and would ; as a matter of jus- £ tice, havo to bp extended in prpppr- j, tion to all other workers in that par- j ticular trade. Mr. Jaggs contended j that; if this procedure of the Court is , insisted upon, employers may well ask .j wherq the policy is gqing to end, etc. (You will note "Mr. Scott was repres- i entativo on tho Court at that time.) j As a fairly largo employer, and 0110 whp £ take's a keen interest'in labour affairs, i I contend that we have had no awards j made by the present Cpurt that aro , alarming to the community, taking into j consideration the existing high price j that workmen have had to pay for any j commodity required by them- i I wpnld like tfl point put that since v Mr. Scptt tppk up his ppsjtion in 1905, j jie h as . heen away for pver three months £ pn sick Ipayp op full pay, and now ■ cqmes. back willing and anxious tp take , up thp position of representative on , the Arbitration Court at a salary of £850 a year, which position not 12 ( months ago he was not ablq tp attpnd ; to. These, ai'P a ew . Pf the doings of , the executive, and as the annual meet- ! ipg is tin's month I dp not wish to . take ijp anj 1 morp pf your valuable- . space,,but will have something tp fay , at the annqal meeting. I aiu," etc. ' MALCOLM STEVENSON. \ October 2. '.