BOOT OPERATIVES

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11652, 17 October 1923, Page 11

BOOT OPERATIVES

NEW DOMINION AWARD PRINCIPLE OF-CLASSIFICATION. Tho award in connection with the Dominion boot trade dispute was -filed in the Arbitration Court yesterday. The existing award to a very large extent is renewed, and there are no material changes. The principal question referred to the court was that of classification of operatives, which had been agreed to in part by the Conciliation Council. A scheme was submitted by the employers, but the New Zealand Boot Operatives Federation did not submit any counter-proposal regarding this subject. “In view of the importance of having a scheme of classification thoroughly investigated the court has hesitated ’ to adopt, the system proposed by the employers/' said Mr Justice Frazer, prfesidept of the court,, in an attached memorandum, “and for that reason has decided to with a v feW amendments. the existing award/’ The court was satisfied that the boot manufacturing., industry was one to which a classification could, 4 be applied, and for that reason had, made the terms of the award ‘ for one year only: The court left it open to the parties to agree on a scheme of classification" at any time during, the term of the award. If the parties could not agree on such a scheme before the matter came again before the court, the court would probably embody an arbitrary sceme in the next award. . . DISPUTES COMMITTEE. “We. have substituted a disputes committee for the former board of control, ! as the powers proposed for the latter body were ultra vires/’ continued ‘His Honour. “We have not dealt specially with piece work, for it is open to an, employer to agree with his workers on any system of • payment by results, so long as the minimum wage is paid. . . *, We have not altered, the apprenticeship danse, as the whole question of apprentices can be 1 brought up for consideration after the Apprentices Act. 1923. comes into force in April of 192&;** OPERATION OF AWARD. The-award will come into force on October 23rd, 1923, and continue until the same date in 1921. ‘ I rt> connection with the female boot operatives award, which was also filed yesterday, it has been made to conform as far as possible to the provisions df the male operatives award. ’ v ’