INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6493, 13 April 1908, Page 7

INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES

INTERPRETATION OF AAVARCS.

DECISIONS OF ARBITRATION COURT. Tho Arbitration Court has given a number of decisions in matters recently referred to it. HORSB-SHOFHS. Application of tho Inspector cf Awards for on interpretation of tho award in re Wellington and Suburbs ■Master Horse-shoers. The farriers named in this award as employers all carry on business in Wellington and suburbs. Question: Docs tho award named above apply to tho farriers of Wanganui and district? Does tho award become binding on any party commencing business in the Wanganui district subsequent to the coming into force of the above award? Answer: The award is not restricted in its operation and applies, therefore, to the whole industrial district. Any employer who commenced business in any part of tho district after the award came into force is bound by its provisions.

COOKS AND WAITERS.

THE MINIAIUM WAGE.

Application by tho Inspector of Awards for an interpretation of the award in re Wellington Amalgamated Society of Cooks and Waiters.-

Clause one of the award provides:— Tho following shall be tho minimum weekly rates of pay for the several classes of workers in hotels: Pantry: Males—Where more than one is employed r First hand £1 10s; others £1 ss. Where only one hand is employed he shall bo paid £1 ss. Females—All females employed in tho pantry shall be paid £1 per week. Question: Whore one male and three female hands are employed as pantry hands in an hotel, must the male hand necessarily class as first hand at 80s per week? Answer: As only one male hand is employed he is not entitled to more than £1 5s per week.

IRON AND STKEEL WORKERS.

A QUESTION OF COMPETENCY,

Application by the Inspector of Awards for an interpretation of tho award in re United Boilermakers, Iron and Steel-ship Builders (Canterbury).

Clause two of the award states:— “First-class boilermakers” shall moan those engaged to do flanging and angle ironwork, and also all those engaged to do steam-tight work who are competent to set out a boiler. This class shall receive not loss than Is 4d per hour. Question: Does “competent” mean competent to sot out any type of boiler, or only those ooilers usually mads in the foundries in this district ?

Answer: The worker to ho a firstclass boilermaker must be competent to set out any typo of boiler that is usually made m tho Dominion.

GAS STOKERS AND COKERS.

A FRESH AWARD.

■Wellington Gas Stokers and Cokers’ Industrial Union v. Wellington Gas Company.

A full week’s work shall consist of seven (7) shifts of eight hours per shift.

A leading stoker shall be paid not less than 10s Gd per shift, and an ordinary stoker not less than Gs 9d per shift.

. The following shall be tile recognised holidays New Year's Hay, Anniversary Day, Good Friday, Kaster Monday, Prince of Wales’s Birthday, Labour Day, Birthday of the Sovereign, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and picnic day, if observed as a holiday in the gasworks. Work done on these days shall bo paid for at the rate of double time. Tho number of retorts to be drawn aud charged in each shift shall not exceed twenty for each stoker. Whenever the stokers are required to do full work on Sundays or holidays the employer shall provide a 1 man to trim coke.from the track tips at least four (41 hours during the day. A sufficient supply of shale shall be kept in the retort-house to meet tho requirements on Sundays, holidays, and nights. All waaos shall be paid weekly in cash at the employer’s office.

The employer shall provide accommodation to tho satisfaction of the Inspector of Factories, to enable the workers to change their clothes and have their meals apart from the other employees of the employer. It the employer shall* hereafter engage any worker as a stoker who shall not be a member of the union, arid who, within throe calendar months after his engagement by the employer shall not become and remain a member of the union, the employer shall dismiss such worker from its service if requested to do so by the union, provided there is then a member of the union equally qualified to perform tho particular work required to be done and ready and willing to undertake the same.

Tho provisions of the foregoing clause shall operate only if ’and so long as tho rules of the union shall permit any person of good .character and of sober habits to become a member of tho union upon payment of an entrance fee not exceeding ss, upon a written or verbal application, without ballot or other election, and so continue a member upon payment of subsequent contributions not exceeding 6d per week. The union shall do all in its power to prevent any strike by any cf the workers affected by this award, and if any strike shall occur in which any members of the union shall take part, such strike shall be prima facie evidence that the union has committed a breach of its duty hereunder. The Court reserves to itself full power in the event of any such strike as last mentioned occurring to suspend, on the application of the employer, the operation of all or any of the provisions of this award for such period as the Court shall think proper. The award applies to the Wellington Gas Company only. It takes effect from -April 13th, and remains in force until April 13th, 1909. MEMOiRAMDIJM.

Tho union asked the Court to insert the following provisions in its award;

Working of Elevators with Coal.— Two shifts shall be worked with the elevators (one night and one day rii.ft), so th it no coal shall be let down on the floors of the retort-house. Cleaning of Bridge. Pipes, etc. —The company shall provide at least one man per each shift to clean the bridge and stanchion-pipes in retort-house. The evidence showed that the work of the stokers is rendered moro difficult by coal being let down on the floors of the retort-hotne. The company, at the hearing, undertook, as far as practicable. to prevent this in future and the Court expects this undertaking to ,be car lied out.

With regard to the cleaning of the bridge and stanchion pipes in the re-tort-house, tho Court recommends the company to arrange its work so that, as far as possible, men shall not be taken from the night-shift of stokers to do this work.