DOMINION AWARD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22877, 4 November 1937, Page 16

DOMINION AWARD

COMPLETE 'AGREEMENT HARBOUR BOARD WORKERS COURT'S PRONOUNCEMENT An application for a Dominion award for tho Now Zealand Harbour Board Employees' Union was heard by tho Arbitration Court yesterday, when the parties brought forward a practically complete agreement. Mr Justice O'Regan presided, with him being Messrs. W. Cecil Primo and' A. L. Montoith, lay members. Mr. J. Roberts appeared for the applicant union and Mr. W. J. Gardner represented the harbour boards. Mr. Roberts said the application covered employees of 26 harbour boards who had signified their wish to come into tho union, which was a now ono applying for its first award. At the beginning of the dispute there had been as many as 1380 classifications of wages; these had been considerably reduced through tho work of tho assessors.

Objections to the formation of tho union had been made by several other unions before registration was granted and the Minister of Labour had ordered a ballot to be taken among tho men employed on tugs and dredges, Iho ballot had been conducted by the Labour Department. Later other unions had objected and further ballots had been taken. However, tho union had covered only those harbour board employees throughout tho country who had been in favour of joining the new body. "Where harbour board employees belonging to other unions had shown that they did not want to come into the new union, no attempt had been made to cover them by tho provisions of the application. His Honor read a protest from the Wellington Clerical Workers' Union and a joint one from seven Auckland unions.

Mr. Roberts said the Auckland protest came from unions whoso members were not covered by tho application. The new union had been accused of "body snatching," but rather did- it socni that members of other unions who had at first refused to come into it wero now desiring to do so. Hie union had taken the view that the men had to decide the matter and at no time had it departed from this rule. His Honor said the fact that the union had been duly formed and that an agreement had been reached gave the Court no option but to pronounce an award.