THE GASWORKS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, Issue LIV, 12 June 1920, Page 4

THE GASWORKS

WAGES OF STOKERS. The committee, of the whole Council made the following recommendation to the Council last evening in regard to the wages of gasworks stokers: — (a) Thai the stokers be paid 17s 6d per shift as from the 24th May last, and that the agreeiment which expired on, that date, with the necessary consequential alterations, be renewed, until the 24th May, 1921 ; (b) That the agreement be signed to-morrow (Juno Bth). When the recommendations came up for discussion, the Mayor said it was only due, to the public, to know something about these proposals. The stokers had applied for an increase of ■ pay, aud th© Committee agreed to raise the pay from 15s to 16s 6d. At the present time the drainage were being stoked by the men, and if this work was not done, and the boilers had to bo separated, it would probably cost the Council an extra £9OO a year. The Committee talked the matter over, and decided it was a matter to find out whether the men could do the stoking, o£ the drainage boilers along with the gas retorts, the stokers bad met the Committee in a nice way. and they had been informed that if "the Council had to find tins extra £9OO it would be necessary to put off street maintenance-work that the extra money could be teuna to stoke the drainage boilers. ; the stokers then agreed to do the work it their pay wns raised to Its pip a shut, which would involve an additional expenditure of about £3' JO a year. Inti nines had been made as to the wages paid to stokers in other parts of the Dominion, and it-was found to aveiage 17s 2d a shift; so the committee c.ui not think'they were going too far in offering 17s 6d. as, in addition to ,stoking the retorts toe d l ‘« n^ boilers would also be stoked * same time. The Mayor thought the Council would be very wise Hi adopting the resolution, and the agreement yras signed remaining in force ter a t ’ +„ p r Plum the Mayor In answer to vi. L “‘-'b hj said .the agreement would nob bar Em Council nutting oft any of its employees independent of the stokers found necessary. , , Cr. Harley moved an amendment that the clause bo deleted. He considered that 17s 6d a shaft , mas too i much for the work done. Tht _ S Engineer had assured them that it m-J* . not skilled ‘labour, and could be picked ■up within a very short time iho i Council was committing itself to an J expenditure of £270 ; ln,t !»■ Jul i.ot think ttu- Council ta »«* effect the increase would mean in tin, j other wages. XTnti! the drainage boiWs ww «t apart |vom tl,<i a*£ works, the stokers would bout it owi the Council as a “big stick, and directly the agreement lapsed tlie aokovs would com., bulk to demand a .baler inuvoase Had the Council realised that all the wages of its employees wduld have to he increased ’correspondingly? , .. TT Cr. Sorrell'seconded the motion, lie said the wages paid to tb gas -stokers were unreasonable. If the stokers weie worth. 17s 6d w shift, the labourers on the street were worth 25s Cr Plum thought the 'Committee nan been' influenced' by the wages paid for similar work in other parts of the Dominion. He did not consider the amount unreasonable in the encumsbances. It would be cheaper to pay Idle men than to nut on certificated men to work the boilers. Or. Edwards thought the Council should back up the 'Committee’s rccom. inundation. , The Mayor combatted Cr. Harley« arguments, and, contended that the agreement was a, good one. . Cr. Marris. as one of the 'Committee who bad met the men, maintained that to give the men 17s od a day was a paving proposition to the Council. If labourers were employed to stoke the boilers their pay would be 14s 8d a day. and it was only natural that after" a short time they would demand stokers’ wages. When the proposition failed to become a paying ore to the Council, he was quite prepared to reconsider the position. Or. Watson said the stumbling block to the. gasworks bad ahvays been the stoking of tlm drainage boilers. Under present conditions the Council would simply ha ve to knnckky dowry to the stokers.- No doubt in fixing stokers’ wages in oilier parts the Court' hadi to take into consideration the high, temperature under which the work was performed. If trouble tjtoso xvifcli! the stokers there was no telling whore it would end. , Cr Harley, in reply, repeated that the City Engineer was of the opinion that the job was one for unskilled labourers. • The stoker's had the option iVif joining 'the Wellington Union, and he ‘ contended that if t-bev did the ■Council would have the right to go to the Arbitration Court und fight thorn. The ouestion was nob one of the cost of living at all, and he agreed that the men were entitled to. a wijge that would ‘allow them a decent \ standard of living and comfort. Hut for unskilled labour ho contended that the pay proposed—£3lß . a year—was too ranch for the class of work done. The amendment, on being put, was lost, only the mover and seconder eunnortiug it. The 'Committee’s recommendations wore then adopted 1 ■