DELAYED AWARDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23109, 6 August 1938, Page 16

DELAYED AWARDS

METAL WORKERS' CASE RETROSPECTIVE INCREASES PROMISE BY EMPLOYERS WELLINGTON MEN RESUME [by telegraph—press association] WELLINGTON, Friday As a result of a conference of Wellington metal workers' assistants hold in tho Trades Hall to-day, when upward of 400 were present, tho men who ceased work at the Patent Slip yesterday as a protest against tho delay in having their claim for an award heard by tho Court of Arbitration returned to work this afternoon. An assurance was received from tho employers' representatives that when tho proposed award was made tho wages fixed by tho Court should bo retrospective to May 9. Tho meeting was addressed by Mr. F. P. Walsh, agent for tho Wellington Metal Workers' Union. Interviewed later Mr. Walsh said the stoppage of work was directed not against tho employers, but against tho Court. The men had tried bringing pressure to bear to get revolving what appeared to be tho almost unworkable machinery of tho Court. Tho mon had been advised, said Mr. Walsh, that an agreement had been entered into on their behalf with the Now Zealand Federated Ironmasters' Association that whatever wago increases tho Court might grant would bo retrospective to May 9. Tho meeting had expressed strong disapproval of delays by tho Courts in issuing awards, claiming, and rightly bo, contended Mr. Walsh, that large sections of workers were being deprived of long overdue increases in wages. Mr. Walsh stated that discontent Still existed among other largo sections of workers over the delays and that unless something was dono to remedy this stato of affairs it would be very difficult to prevent them from taking similar action to that of tho metal workers' assistants, although this had been contrary to tho advice of their union secretary.