ARBITRATION COURT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10768, 17 May 1911, Page 2

ARBITRATION COURT.

(Per Press Association.)

Dunedin, May 16. The Arbitration. Court held a sitting hero to-day in the recommendation for an award in the dispute of the Otago Hotel, Restaurant, and Boardinghouse Employees' Industrial Union of Workers versus the Coffee Palace Company and other private hotelkeepers. Mr Breen, who appeared for the Union, said the main alterations were a rise of 2s per week for waitresses, Is for housemaids, with provision for probationary housemaids. There was a reduction "of 2s 6d per week in laundry work, and the hours of men employed in private hotels were increased to 52 per week. Mr Pryor objected to the award being made except in respect of the Coffee Palace, Leviathan Hotel, and Woods' Hotel, which had been working under the award for two years. Mr Breen also applied for the inclusion of Robert Spray, of the Trocadero, in the award. Mr Breen asked that the Court grant the same conditions as had been granted in Wellington, and that the question be referred back to the Conciliation Council. Mr Pryor objected to this course. Ihe trade in* Dunedin was in a very bad state, and the increased cost would mean that quite a number of the lowerpriced houses would go out of existence: •. . The Court reserved its decision in the case. In the case of the Iron and Brass Moulders' Union v. Shacklock and others, Mr Breen, on behalf of the Union, opposed the recommendation of the Conciliation Council, and said the Union desired the whole matter to be gone into. The Union objected to the clauses b and c of the award referring to certain rates of pay for stock catalogue work. The President said the Union wanted to come to Court and pick out what suited it and ignore the rest. There were three courses open to the Union — (IYTo accept the recommendation, (2) withdraw from the award and arrange for a fresh dispute, (3) again go before the Conciliation Council. Mr Breen said a mistake had been made by the assessors, and he would follow the third course suggested. ADD arbitration court Dunedin Mr Breen, on behalf of the Iron and Brass Moulders' Union, opposed the recommendation of the assessors in regard to wages for stock catalogue work. The clause had been copied from the engineers' award, and had boon found to be unsatisfactory.

Mr justice Sim said the Court would not allow anyone to pick out what suited thorn in the recommendation and reject the rest. The parties must stick to thru- recommendation or abandon their application for an award. The unions should act as fairly as the employers were supposed to do. If the employers' after agreeing to a recommendation, were to attempt to repudiate it there would be a groat howl. Mr Breen said the assessors were satisfied they had made a mistake, and he agreed to return the matter to the Conciliation Council.