BUILDING DELAYED

Northern Advocate, 17 August 1932, Page 4

BUILDING DELAYED

NEW HOTEL AT NAPIER. TRADE UNIONS'* ATTITUDE. (Special to “Northern Advocate.”) NAPIER, This Day. An obstacle raised by the Wellington headquarters of a number of trade unions will prevent the completion of the new Criterion Hotel by Christnias. With less than five months of the yfear left, it was proposed to employ two shifts per day, from 4 a.m. to S'p.m;, on the construction of the building,' and application was made to six unions to waive the provision’ip the .awards of the Wellington District (of which Hawke's Bay is a part) that overtime must be paid for hours outside ...thelimits of -8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Of six unions, two controlled directly in Hawke’s Bay were willing to agree to the proposal, but the other, four, each of which has its headquarters in Wellington, . refused. One union pointed ' out the danger of creating a -precedent, and another made it clear that any employer or employee who agreed would be liable to prosecution-for a breach of award. CFour officers are" emphatic in stating that the proposals cannot bo entertained’’ was the definite reply of a third.

The owners of the now hotel, who today let a contract for £IO,OOO for its construction, have no alternative but to work only one shift daily, despite the fact that Napier lias 1200 registered unemployed, the majority of whom are artisans who could accept emplovmcnt that would ■ be offering if • two shifts were worked.

Ihe attitude of the Wellington headquarters of the unions has caused some feeling, especially as many of the men themselves are willing to work their eight hours at'-any time of the. dayJn order to secure immediate; employment.