SEAMEN AND FIREMEN

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11651, 16 October 1923, Page 5

SEAMEN AND FIREMEN

CONCILIATION COURT CASE OWNERS SEEK REDUCTIONS IN WAGES. BIG VARIATION IN CLAIMS. The hearing of the seamen’s and 1 firemen’s dispute before the Conciliation Council commenced yesterday, Mr YY. Newton, the Commissioner, presiding. The case was not completed yesterday, and will be resumed this afternoon. The employers were represented by Messrs W. G. Smith, W. H. G. Bennett. and P. A. Peterson, while tho workers’ assessors were Messrs T. h. Anderson, W. R. Clarke, and W. T Young. Mr B. L. Salmond appeared as agent for the shipping companies. " SCOPE OF AGREEMENT. It was intimated on behalf of the owners that an agreement reached should be accepted as covering other district** in the Dominion. so that there would be no necessity for the council to sit in other centres. This was agreed to by Mr Young on behalf of the men. WAGES CLAIMS.

The employers filed the dispute as applicants. There was considerable variance in the wages claims. The employers offered £l3 per calendar month for boatswains, while the workers counter-claimed £l7 10s per month of 30 days* an increa-sc of £2 6s 8d monthly on the old award rate. For ouartermaster* the offer was £l2, and the counter-demand 1 for £l6 10s, an increase of £1 63 Bd. The companies suggested a general reduction in waces of £2 3s 4d. For firemen the offer was £l4, and the demand £lss 10s. Tile other claims have already been published. Mr Smith went through the claims, pointing out. the alterations, comparing the claims with the old award. For special commissions and emergencies, as well as for excursions. for a number of days under ono month, provision was made for an extra payment of 2a per cent, of wages. There were a large number of minor alterations. Mr Smith mentioned that the preference clause had been, omitted altogether.

Mr Young: You don’t like that? Mr Smith : We have got along very well without it for the past twelve months.

Mr Young: Well. we might have got along much better with it. Mr Smith said the claims had omitted any reference to stop-work meetings. They were very strongly objected to. Mr Young: We have got along very well with them during the past twelve months.

Mr Smith said the shipowners had been very disappointed at the small reduction that was allowed by the court on its last pronouncement. The reduction suggested in the claim was to compensate to some extent for the small allowance made for the portion of wages paid in keep, for which only 10s per week was allowed, while it coat at least 3s 6d daily. Until *omething more favourable was allowed the shipowners were going to be handicapped in outside competition. He thought that the council might not agree on the wages question, hut there were a large number of smaller matters on which they might agree. The counterproposals, with one or two small alterations. were the same as those put forward when the claims were before the court for the old award. The general discussion took place later, after which an adjournment was made until 2 T>.m. this afternoon, when Mr Young will deal in detail with the case for the men.