BRICKLAYERS' DISPUTE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15649, 1 July 1914, Page 11

BRICKLAYERS' DISPUTE

PARTIAL SETTLEMENT. WAGES CLAUSE NOT DECIDED.* A p.ibtijx settlement was arrived at in the Auckland bricklayers' dispute yesterday after a sitting of the Conciliation Council extending over two days. The commissioner, Mr. T. flarle Giles, presided, and tho assessors were Messrs. W. bands, and W. Ball (Auckland), and W. H. Bennett (Wellington), for the employers, and Messrs. W. E. Gibson and T. D. Bell (Auckland) and A. McMahcn (Wellington), for toe union. Mr. George Baildon .conducted the case for the Builders' Association, and Mr. 0. H- Parker for the union. Amongst the chief clauses agreed upon was that governing the hours of work, which, it is now provided, shall be 44 a week; eight hours on five days in the week, between the hears of 7.45 a.m. and 5 p.m., and four hours on Saturdays, between 7.45 a.m. and noon. Overtime is to bo paid for at tho rate of time and a-quarter for the first two hours, and time and a-lalf thereafter up till 10 p.m. Between that hour and the ordinary time for commencing work tho next morning, double rates must be paid for continuous work. Workers required to commence between 6 a.m. and the ordinary time for starting are to be paid at the rate of time and a-quarter for such time. .Double rates are to be paid for work done on holidays, namely, Sundays; New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day.

It is provided that there shall be a weekly payment of wages, within' 1.5 minutes of leaving off work. It is also provided that when a worker is discharged ho mus'i receive 15 minutes' notice, and within that time must be paid all wages due to him. Piece work is prohibited.

By tho terms of tbo new agreement, an employer must provide proper sanitary] arrangements on a job, and a shed in; which workmen may change or dry their clothes and have their meals. The clauses which are to bo referred to the Arbitration Court are those relating to wages, classes of work, terms of j engagement, subnrban work, country work, apprentices, preference, and the term of the award, while the employers seek to have a clause inserted to tr-e effect that where a worker is substantially employed as a foreman, it shall lot be obligatory upon him to be a member of the "union. To this clause the union objects, and it will, therefore, have to be decided by the Court. A number of counterproposals by the Auckland Gas Company will also lie icferred to tho Court. ' Partial exemption ras granted to the Auckland City Council, Auckland Harbour Board, Colonial Sugar Refining Company, and total exemption to the Auckland R'ectric Tramways Company, C. Bailey, iun , Campbell and Ehrcnfried Company, J. J. Craig, Ltd., Great Northern Brewery Company, Northern Steamship Company, Sengar Brothers, and the Waitemata Sawmill Company. At the conclusion of the proceedings, Mr. A. McMahon (Wellington), for the union, moved'a hearty vote of thanks to the commissioner for the manner in which he had presided over the sitting of tho council. Mr. W. H. Bennett (Wellington) seconded the motion on behalf of the employers. Mr. W. E. Gibson, secretary of the union, and Mr. George Baildon, secretary of the Builders Association, also spoke to the resolution, which was carried by acclamation. Mr. Harje Giles briefly responded