BRICKLAYERS’ CLAIMS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10100, 14 October 1918, Page 7

BRICKLAYERS’ CLAIMS

NEW LOG WANTED. APPRENTICESHIP CONDITIONS. Another union asking for increased wages and better conditions is the Wellington Bricklayers’ Union. The dispute will be heard before the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr W. Nowton) tomonow. The men are asking for an increase of 4(d per hour in tho pay of journeymen bricklayers. The present pay is Is 74d per hour, and the new demands- are for 2s an hour. Other points (jf the new claims are as follow : Foremen nob less than 2s per day extra ; overtime at the rate of time and a quarter; also hot and dirty work at the same rates; repairs to bakers’ ovens, retorts, etc., at double time; special clauses for under-rate workers, suburban and country work; apprentice's to he paid 12s 6d the first year, 17s 6d the second year, £1 5s the third, £1 15s the fourth, and £2 5s the fifth; the proportion of apprentices to journeymen not to exceed one to every three journeymen; tho award to continue in duration for twelve months; a -week’s work not to exceed forty-four hours; special clauses iii regard to preference.

Tho clauses relative to apprentices are of particular and include the following: Every apprentice residing within a radius of three miles from a Technical College or school shall, during tho first three years of his apprenticeship, or Until he shall have gained the necessary certificate, attend the classes in such college or school in brickwork and building construction, and the fees therefor shall be refunded to the apprentice by his master in each term in which hia attendance is not less than 70 per cent, of the maximum possible. No apprentice shall be made to do labourer’s work. An employer shall not be deemed to discharge his duty towards an apprentice if he shall fail to keep, him at work owing to slackness of work, but such slackness may form a proper ground for transferring him to a master willing to undertake the responsibility of teaching him. Deductions may he made from the wages of an apprentice for the time lost through illness after one month, or default, and the apprentice shall mako up such time lost before the following year of his apprenticeship shall be deemed to commence, and-the’Jotal period of his -npprenticoship shall be extended for a period equal to such lost timc. The period of apprenticeship shall be five years; but three months’ probation shall be allowed the first employer of any apprentice to determine his fitness, such throe months to be included in tho period of apprenticeship. The obligation of the apprentice to serve his employer shall bo deemed to ho a duty enforceable under this award. An apprentice shall finish his time at tho age of twenty-one years.

At the ond of the period of appronticehip the employer shall give the,apprentice a, certificate to show fcluit ho has served his apprenticeship. Should the employer at any time : before the termination of tho apprenticeship wish for any reason to disponso with the

services of the apprentice he shall'give •him a -certificate for the time served and procure him another employer carrying on business within n reasonable distance of the original employer’s place of business/ who will continue to teach' the ’ apprentice," to pay him the wage's proscribed by this award according to the total length of time ho has served, and generally to observe the obligations of the original employer: Provided that it. shall not be obligatory upon an employer to. find the. apprentice aether employer if he shall so misconduct himself as to entitle the employer to discharge him, but he shall give him a certificate for the time actually served. The assessors for the union will be Messrs „R,. jS'ejvnjen,. G,, BodeH, and ALemmon. Mr A. Han ton, secretary to the union, will act os agent.