TOBACCO WORKERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 8 October 1936, Page 11

TOBACCO WORKERS

CONCILIATION HEARING ADJOURNED tiNibk irb cimStijEE ifACES (Uhitcd Press ASsociktibii) This Day. An hdjburhmeht until 17th October upbh in the Cbnclliatioii Council yestei-dhy.in .the dispute ..be-, twebri the Wbilingtph Tbbhecb and Related Trades Emh.lbyees’ Industrial llnibii. of ,\tfßrk|rs. atid W.. .D. '.and H. O. Wills; Ltd., Wellington, .the National Tobacco. Co., Ltd.; Napier, , , and others, so that the workers’ union cohid bail a Sheeting tti bbnsider the wages offered by the employers. Mr M. J. Reardon, conciliation commissioner, presided, and the assessors were as follows: —Employers, Messrs W. J. Mountjoy, advocate, J. E. Ramsay, E. M. Hunt and Gibson Stott. Employees, Messrs John Tucker, advo-.

cate, S. Chesney, J. Luke, and T. J. Lr Tucker.

Agreement was reached bn practL cally every clause, the only ones.hot settled, other than the wages, being the “sjnpkb” blaiise and the one dealing with watchmen. . ■ . f The wages, claimed by the workers were £1 7s 6d for a youth under 17 years bf age, rising to £4.12s 6d at 20J; thereafter £5 ss; sUb-foreman, £5 10s; ..bhre.taker and yard foreman, £5 10s. The. female fates asked were £1 5s for a, 15-year-bld. girl, rising to £2 lbs at 18; thefehfter a flat'rate of £3,,55; foreivoman, £4 ss. / ■/ ; The employbrs proposed the, following wages in. their, counter-claims:— £1 for a youth of 16 years and under, rising to £3 13s 6d iat thereafter, £4.5s to £4 12s 6.3;. workers in charge pf.tWb or. more workers, £4 Jss; caretaker and yard foreman, £5. Female rates: First six ; months of employment, 15s, rising to £1 15s at the sixth six hibhths; thereafter not less thaii £2. In additio nto the above rates (employers.) for female labour, the employers offered to pay overpay for such work as might from time to time be decided upon by the management. The workers .wanted overtime to be paid for at the rate of time and a half for the first J;wo hours and double time thereafter, while the employers were willing to pay only time and a , half. It was agreed that time and a half should be paid for the first four hours and double time thereafter. The rate asked lor casual workers was 2s 9d an hour. The employers were willing to concede 2s 3d. The following were some of the pro- , visions of the (Clauses .agreed to: — Wages are to be paid weekly in cash and not later than Thursday. The following will be recognised as holidays: New Year’s Day, Boxing Day, Anniversary Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, Labour Day, ■ Sovereign’s Birthday and Christmas Day.. During the closed-down period from Christmas to New Year each worker is to be paid, in addition to the ; statutory holidays, one week’s pay. An allowance of Is 6d is to be allowed for a meal when a worker has to work overtime, unless he or she has been notified on the previous day. Employees working in the vicinity of : bronze dust, tobacco dryers on gas or steam stoves, are to be supplied with a pint of hot. milk daily. Workers em-; \ ployed on the steam-cleaning machine are to work two months off this work and one month On. A week is to be worked spread over five days from Monday to Friday. There is to be no work on Saturdays. ' ■' _