WORK ON WATERFRONT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16408, 9 December 1916, Page 7

WORK ON WATERFRONT.

i TALLYMEN SEEK AWARD. CASE BEFORE THE COURT. Overtime and holidays were the principal points at issue in the Auckland j Tallymen's dispute, which was before the j Arbitration Court- yesterday. The union | asked that if a ship was intended to be I worked at night, ths men engaged to j work at 10 p.m. or after should be paid' | for a minimum of six hours. The eioj plovers offered to pay for four hours. It ! was also asked that the rate of. pay be- ; tween midnight on Sunday and 8 a.m. on ! Monday should be double ordinary time, | viz., 4s 6d an hour, to which the employers replied with an offer of ordinary overtime, 2s 3d an hour. The men. also J asked for double time for work done in | meal hours, and for double overtime for I work dene on certain statutory holidays. ! Mr. A. liosser. for the men, said "the | tallymen. used to be members cf - the . • Auckland Waterside Workers' Union, bat • the employers objected, becanse tallymen, as part of their duty, had to detect pilfering of cargo. Therefore, it was thought the men should be free from outside influences. The Court had concurred in the objection, and tallymen had been | excluded Jrom the Watersiaers' -Award. | The employers, however, promised that j whatever increase the waterside workers j gained would- be given to the tallymen. I That promise had not been kept."- The I waterside workers also had secured the j advantages which were now claimed by : the tallymen, and which were in dispute. Evidence in support of the men's deJ mands was given by a number of ■wit- ! nesses.

Mr. S. E. Wright submitted that the employers' offers in answer to the men's | claims were reasonable. I Evidence was called in support. One | witness declared that the statement that I the employers promising to give the men 1 the same increases as were secured by the ] waterside workers, came as a surprise, ] It was also contended that the same conditions did not apply to the work done Iby tallymen and that done by waterside workers. Decision was reserved.