CONCILIATION BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12403, 12 July 1902, Page 2

CONCILIATION BOARD.

It —; * . THE SADDLERS' DISPUTE. ® The Conciliation Board sat yesterday r morning, there being present—Messrs Bath- ] gale (chairman), Feguson, Scott, Hally, and jr M'Circgor. Mr J. 13. M'Callum and Mr A. y M'Konzie were present us representing the masters' association, and Mr J. 'Trembath J. attunded as president of the workers' union. 0 Upon the recommendations being read, „ Mr Ti'embath suggested an alleration in the J direction of making one clause of tlicm _ more like (he proposed Auckland agreement, _ which was what bin union had really agreed ; to—!lie alteration suggested being in respect , n[ the clause regulating overtime.—Mr 1 M'Citlhini thought the recommendation was not quite clear enough as to the pay for female x stitchcr.-;, and iliis remark gave rise to a . little discussion, the result of which was that 3 an extra clause (No. 5 in the recommendawas put in. " -The recommendations finally arrived at are > as follow: — > ..snat the parties to the said dispute enter t into an industrial agresmont fur a period c'om- , mendm; •immediately after the expiry o£ one t month from the filing hereof, ami enduring j until llic Ist day of September, 1904, the ngreement to contain the following provisions:— f 1. The hours of work shall be 48 in each week. On Saturday in each week the hours • of work shall expire not later than 1 p.m. All work worked beyor.d the time mentioned in this chutse, or on holidays, shall be construed ! overtime, and shall be paid for at the rate of \ lime ar.d a-qunrtcr for (lie lirst four hours, ! lime and ci-hiiK aflor 10 p.m, double time > after midnight up to G a.n*. on »nv day 'except ' the days inentione.l in paragraph Js'o. 12 hereof, ' on which days all work shall be at the rate of double time, and Sundays double time. , Provided that no overtime shall be paid for i jn any one week until the 18 hours shall iiave I been worked, lime lost through sickness or r public holidays excepted, : 2. Only three classcs' of workers shall be r recognised or employed—namely, journeymen | (which expression shall inslude journeymen [ and journeywomoiij, apprentices, and female stitchers. X Every journeyman working at any branch of the Irade (except as hereinafter mentioned) > shall b? paid not- less tlmn ±2 8s per week. 4. Any journeyman. who considers himself i not capable of earning the minimum wage may I be paid such less wage as may from .time to i time bp agreed; upon in writing between any worker and' the president or secretary of the and if any such be employed, that notification "of the wages paid and the names of the journeyman., nud of the employer to be sent to the president or secretary of the Otago and i Southland Master Saddler?' Society, and in . case of difference such wage as shall bo settled , in writing by the chairman of the Conciliation , Board for the. said district. 5. The wages of female stitchers shall lie . fixed ill manner similar to that provided in clausc 4 for fixing wages ol an incompetent workman. G. All hoys working- in any branch of the trade shall-,be legally indentured as apprentices for the term of five years, but every boy so employed may be allowed three calendav , months' probation prior to being so indentured, ' such period, if such boy be indentured at the end of such period, to be counted as part of the said period of five years. When an apprentice shall hove served four years of his 1 term, another apprentice may he taken on so as to enable the former to better qualify himself to become a competent journeyman. 7. That in all branches of the trade two boys be allowed to every three journeymen, or one to a- fraction of Ihree.' In retail shops the lr.aster to count- as a journeyman, ' 8. For the purpose of determining the proportion of apprentices to journeymen, in taking any now apprentice the calculation Bhall be based on a, two-thirds full time employment of competent journeymen, employed during the previous three calendar months. ft. The wages for apprentices shall be as follows:—First year, Brv per week; second year, Ss Gd per week; third year, lis per week; fourth year, 15s per week; fifth year, £1 per week. 10. That all females employed in tho trado be paid a weekly wage. 11. Female stitchers in (ho saddlery branches to be barred from panel-making. 12. Preference of employment to be given to unionists. , 13. The following day 3 shall be recognised holidays in all branches:— Good Friday, Easter Jloi.day, the. King's Birthday, Christmas Day, New Yoar's Day, and Labour Day. Mr Trombath said that before leaving lie would like to thank tho board for tho patient manner in which tliey had addressed themselves to tho dispute, and he also deemed. it a duty to acknowledge the friendly and. courteous behaviour of tho employers' representatives. When he entered upon lite business it was with a certain amount of fear that it would he a troublesome job, but the amiability of tho employers' representatives had made it a pleasure to confcr with them and helped towards arriving at what he thought was a fair award. The Chairman remarked that it was very satisfactory to hear Mr Trembath spcakiiig in such terms, .and gratifying to know that the dispute had been happily settled.