WHARF LABOURERS’ DISPUTE

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4075, 13 June 1900, Page 2

WHARF LABOURERS’ DISPUTE

AWARD .OF CONCILIATION BOARD. '’.The of the Board of Conciliation in’tho-dispute between the Wharf Labourers’ Union ' amt the; employers were read by. the Chairman yesterday, in the presence of Messrs Kennedy, Burn and C. Cross, on behalf of the employers, and-WFT. boung and D. McLaren, representing the union. The 1 recommendations of the Board are as follows ; Hours of Labour.—(l) For all classes of labour the ordinary working hours to be from 8 arm. till 5 p.m., exclusive of meal hours (from 12 noon to 1 p.m.) 1 , excepting Saturdays, when they shall be from 8 a.in. till noon. All otner time to be classed as overtime. i Wages Per Hour.—Steveuore am| general cargo work, ordinary time Is 3d, overtime • 2s. Harbour BtJtJrd work, Is 2d and Is lOd. Work* in freezing chambers is excluded from ’She above. Mon employed as winehmenl plankmen, bull rope men, tippers and men shovelling in holds of ships and hulks. Is 5d and 2s. Trimming coal in holds of ships and hulas, Is Cd and 2s Id. Trimming in ships’ bunkers'; on home-going, ' foreign, intercolonial and coastal steamers. Is, 6d and 2s 6d; Carrying coal, 2s and 1 3s. Overhauling work on ships, whether at the wharves or Patent Slip, such as chipping, clcani ing, ; scrubbing and painting, Is 3d- and 2s. Carrying and stowing in freezing chambers aboard ship, Is (id and 2s 6d, Men engaged in Wellington to work cargo at other ports to bc paid from the time of leaving Wellington till their return at the, rate of 10s per day (Sundays excluded).. * When leaving, before noon, to be paid for a! day, and when leaving in afternoon to be paid for half a day. ■ . > ! ■ All men engaged on the wharves ■ to work anywhere .within the limits of the Wellington Harbour, except men engaged, to go to the Patent 1 Slip' to do overhauling w.ork on vessels, shall be paid from time of leaving until return, excop ting-for-timo-diiring-which detain* ed and kept unemployed by circum; stances over which their employers have no control, i, Men,, engaged,;, to work at the-Patent Slip shall not be paid- for time: during which '-..travelling' to and from their' work, unless not engaged until, after 7.30.a.m. on the day on which they have to go, to the work. If .engaged' after 7;30 .a, nr. on. the Same day as that they are required to do the work in, they shall bo paid for threequarters of-..au- hour time, for travelling in. ,

Tliat .men Ordered down: . to bd'in readiness to cqmmencfe work*' between the hours’ of -5 ’p.m: • and-9'p.m. '•shall receive a minimum payment for ■ one hom-,’’whether Ayqrk l .started - or not. That men .qrdcrod down to be in readiness" to commeribe Work' between ’ thb hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. snail; receive a minimum .payment for two hours, whe*ther, work' is .started or ;poty; 1 Men ordered down .for ■! work.:. betWeen.y' .the hours of nOon oil Saturday and 7 a.m. on Monday,: and for-work bn holidays, shall receive hot less than two hours’ pay. ' ' ■ For work done to five minutes from the'hour, and from that To fifteed minutes, quarter of an hour shall be paid: for.., , Fqivwork dpnp to twquty. minutes from <• the. hour,, apid. frpm that to thirty minutes, half , an hour .shaU.be paid forivFor- work- done-to five-min-utes past• the half-hour,'and from that to fifteen minutes to the'houf, threequarters of an hour shall be paid for. For work done to. den. minutes .to • the hour, and from’that tO 'thofhDUr, a full hour shall be-paid! for. 1 . All, wbfk? don© on Sundays - to be. paid for at the rate of double * time. All work ,done .between, the hour? of 6a.m. and 9 bd 'This -holidays ‘ mentioned in this recommenjdation- ■ snail be paid for nt the rate of- ’2s 1 3d per hour, except for -the-classes of work-for which overtime rates tp.be paid'aremore-thari 2s 3d per hour. " For these'latter; classes of work oveftims"Tares' 1 shall- be ' paid on the holiday hours .above mentioned, The holidays throughout tne year to be New Year’s DayJ Good Friday, reigning Sovereign’s birthday, i; Labour Day, Christmas Day,, .Boxing Day, , Easter Monday aAd Anniversary Day. ' ■ V -£■ That meal hours shall be :, —Breakfast, 7 a.m. 'to 8 a.m.; dinner', 1 12 noon to 1 p.m.; tea, • 5- p:m. - to’, 6 p.m-; supper, one hour- between- Il p.m’.- and'l a.m., according to .circumstances, at the .discretion- of the' ■ employer. Men empldyedHfonT midnight’ to .' 7' a.mr; shall receive half an hour interval for refreshment between 3 and 4 a.m. That no person shall bo employed for- a. longer period ..than five , hours consecutively without an intervals for a meal between ; the hours of 7 ; a.m. and 6>p,m.',;;except;, when. .not .more than one hour longer may be required to finish a. boat, in which case the extension of interval by not more than on© hour or part of an; hour, shall take place. ... ; , , All labour to'be engaged at some definite.-pJafiesAq jbgriclfltcjminqdj mutually from time to time by the secretary to the ~ union, and. the employer, ' or employersconcerned,; jointly: -withthe Secretary to the Harbour Board. . - .-In case of disagreement,* the ■ point , in dispute to-be submitted'to ' thd Chairman of .the _CqnciHatipn Board, whose decision is to bo binding. * That any men required to work overtime shall be engaged during the ordinary Working . - Pours. When the arrival -of a, , ooat: is.uncertain, a notice shall bo posted: on'- the Harbour Board barricade not later tharT4 :p,m. 1 on Sundays cqnfirmip.gSaturday’s arrangements - or,' notifying, ■ alterations in connection therewith, rv . ~ Tiiat the shipping, companies ~ shall pay wages , weekly, on Fridays, between the hours, of 11.a.m. and 1 p.m v and from'4 to s''p.m,'' That the Harbour Board shall pay wages weekly on. Fridays, between , the, hours of 12 noon and 1 p.m., and after 4 p.m; Coaling Work.—lru carrying has-; kets to average twelve to the ton, large baskets five to the ton, and not less than four men, be. engaged shovelling; also two men'to be engaged in the tip.- ‘ Ballast baskets 1 to average eight to the ton* find sifc'men to be engaged shovelling-in the hold. _____ Harbour-Bdaktf-Wdik;—At gangways 12cwt to be a standard truck-loa.- for two men, except .‘in the event of any single package being over and aoove that weight; qtewt to. bo .taken as. the standard truck-load for general transhipments. Employers shall employ members of the Workmen’s Union in preference to non-members, provided there are members. of the. Workmen’s Union who; are equally qualified with non-members to perform the particular work required to be done, and ready an„ willing to perform it. . V,. - After reading the recommendations, the Chairman said; he wasunder ; a temptation to , express, his own opinion, hut- in—face—of the -declared • -determination of the employers to take the dispute before the Arbitration Court, he would maintain silence. Mr Field stated that he would , like to make some,. remarks on, the preference clause.' ' Mr Flockton and he felt compelled, to make a protest... Ho went on to say ;—We-shall keep within our rights ; we shall commit no .breach . of confidence,' and we- have precedent for our action. We feel compelled to raise a strong protest, and shall give the

special reason , which justifies this somewhat - unusual proceeding. It was shown in evidence that there were 403 x members of the union. It was also shown that last year 1580 men were employed on the wharf, and the list, showing this fact was incomplete. It was,--therefore, proved that neaily three-fourths of- the men. wno last year found work on the wharf were not m the. union. On the mere ground ot numbers alone, then, tho union has no just claim for preference. But a largo nUmbOr of 'men are 'so seldom employed that the test of numbers only,might be misleading in any estimate as to the mpn who really do the work. Out of the'4o3 imionists, we were' unable to find 52 on auy list of the men employed. This left 351 who had been actually employed during the year. It was then found that IOS of these* received a less sum than £1 per wee*, 'leaving, therefore, only 153 unionists who had been, so employed as to earn £1 per week or over. On the other hand, it was proved that there were 178-non-nnionists who had received not less" than £1; per week., There were, thefeforb; -from the standpoint ol actual employment, 25 more non-unionists than unionists' receiving the larger wages up to the' end of the year. Because it is pi-bred that a clear majority ot the men most ; regularly, .employed are outside the union, and because nearly three-quarters of tho total number employed are also outside, the union, we are compelled to make this proicst. Mr 1 ' ‘Fl6cht<m . intimated that Mr Field’s met with his entire concurrence. , The 'Chairman said he would notallow himself to be influenced by any unusual course a member of the Board might adopt, nor would it cauSv him to depart from his determination 'to maintain, silence on' the strong ’.reason-S he had why the preference clause;- in the itpidri’s l demands should be, granted.