ARBITRATION COURT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13894, 4 May 1907, Page 10

ARBITRATION COURT.

AUCKLAND TRAMWAYS UNION. APPLICATION FOR A NEW AWARD. (Pep. United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, May 3. The hearing of the Auckland Kloctric Tramways Industrial Union's application for a new award was begun to-day. In place of tho old award the men's organisation has put forward demands for increased wages and important modifications ill working conditions. Messrs Arthur Rosser (secretary of the union), P." C. Buckley (president), and R. Brecu (secretary of the Dimodin Tramway Workers' Union) conducted the case for the employees; while Mr William Scott (secretary of the Olago Employers' Association) anil Mr P. M. Hansen (managing diroctor of tho Auckland Tramways Company) represented tho employers,

The principal features of the demand of the Electric Tramways Union are as follow:—

The hour 3 of labour shall be eight per day for nil employees, but the company shall have tho right to call upon any employee to work for one hour more on any day, paying fcr tho time so worked. aJ ordinary rates. All time worked beyond nino hours to bo paid for at time and a-half rates, but no omployee shall work for nioro than ten hours per day continously. The following shall be tho minimum rats of wagw:—Motormcn, 9s per day; conductors, 8s pgr day; switchmen, 8s per day; trackmen, 8s par day; gretu»rs, 8s per day; firemen (power house), 9s per shift; car cleaners, 8a per shift; pitmen, brakesmen, controller won, and motor examiners, 9s per shift; switch boys, 2os per week; general labourers, 7a Gd per day. A shift to bo cif eight hours' duration.

Soyon consccutivo holidays on full pay in each yoar shall bo givoa to c-cll employee. All iron shall be patd while waiting at sports, raco codings, ic«tbatl malcUct, otc. I'ito company shall have a froe hand in engaging man, but each man engaged shall, within :S0 days, bo required to join the Auckland Klcctric Tramways Union. The work done on Sundays, Christmas Day, and Coed Friday shall be paid lor at the. rate of double time. Motormen and conductor™ on cars at outside termini during church hours shall be paid for such duty. All employees shall be supplied with a weekly ticket with tho days uisrkod thereon entitling them to travel to town and return each day when off duly, such tickets to hotfd good only till 10 p.m. Each car shall be provided with a locker, arid all cars shall ba fitted with glass fronts for tlio protection of the motormen from tho weather.

The company's counter-proposals are: — 1. That the conditions of work and rate of wages as laid down in the award dated Hoy 17, 1804, bo adhered to, with the following addition.

2. That-the court reserves the right to exempt tlio Auckland Eloetric Tramways Company (Ltd.) from any award iu whica it may bo made a party, and if necessary provide for all workers in the service of tho Auckland Electric Tramways Company (Ltd.) under ono award as it deems fit.

Mr Rosscr, in opening, said that the men generally wanted a minimum day of eight hours, to avoid the liability for deduction of time, such as occurred on Juno 10, when, owii'ff to the death of the late Mr Seddon, all amusements were suspended, and the company celebrated tho loss to the colony by doductiug ono or two trips from the men in the evening. Mr Scott: If a man works an hour you want to give him a day's pay? The President: That is what it means. A man on day wages wou!<l be entitled to a day's pay if lie worked five minutes.

Mr Rosscr stated that Aucklanders wero strictly Sabbatarian for one hour and 20, minutes on Sunday mornings and evenings, wdien the cars stopjxxl during divine service. As someone had to look aftor the company's property, tho motormen were paid for their full time, but the conductors, who had to look 'after their tickets and perhaps £12 in cash, were paid nothing. The President (to Mr Rosscr): How docs the wages demand compare with Christcliurcli, Wellington, and Duncdin? Mr Rosscr: I believe it is practically what they are getting in 'Wellington, but not what the Wellington men want to get. The Wellington award will bo up in August. In Christehureh the rale per hour is practically the same as we are getting, but in the aggregate there is a marked difference. Down there they get double time for Sundays, and as there is no spare list the regular hands do tho work. Thus their average goes up to over £3. After several witnesses had been called on behalf of the union, tho further hearing was adjourned till Tuesday next. THE LATE TRAMWAY STRIKE. (Pes United Phess Association.) AUCKLAND, .May 3. The hearing of the charge against the Electric Tramways Company of broach of award in connection with "the late strike was resumed this afternoon. For tho defence, Mr Hanson, managing director of the company, stated that prior to tho trouble in November last lie had never received any notification from the men that they did not consider it their duty to teach learners.

The President said the court was satiefied that it . was part of the duty of the motormen and conductors to teach learners.

Charles Francis Alexander, traflic manager for the Duncdin tramways, said that if ho had received such a letter as that received by Mr Hansen ho would have got the moil into his office, and if they refused to go on teaching learners ho would have dismissed them. This closed the evidence. Mr Colter, in addressing the court for tho defence, urged that there had been causo for dismissal. The gravity of the case lay in the fact that tho men acted in a body and not individually. Had tlio men on a vessel at sea done a similar thing .it would have been regarded as mutiny. Unless the employers had the right, of dismissal in fiuch eases they would bo powerless.

The Hon. ,T. A. Tole will address the court to-morrow morning. The case against the men will be taken on Monday. CANTERBURY DRIVERS' AWARD. (Pee United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, May 3. Recently, at the instanco of the Canterbury Drivere' Union, the Conciliation Board was asked to add parties to the drivers' award, made last August by the Arbitration Court. The members of the Employers and Drivers' Union were originally tho only |ia.rties to tho award on that side, and the men's union, evidently with tho object of saving time pending the sitting of the court in this district, decided tt ask tho Conciliation Board to add the employers outside the Employers and Drivers' Union to the award. When (lie board met. to deal with the application, it was argued that it had no power to add parties to an award, but the board decided that it was competent to do so. The opinion of the Arbitration Court on the question was sought, and it has just broil received in a letter from Mr B. M. AVilson, registrar of the court. To the clerk of awards, Christchurch. Mr Wilson writes: "Referring to your letter of the 16th ult. in ro tho above matter, I am directed by his Honor to reply (hat the Conciliation Board lias no power to add parties to an award, and tho recommendations of the board have been made without jurisdiction, and have no clfect of any kind. If the union wishes to have parties added to the award, it must apply to the court under section 9 cf the Amendment Act, 1905. With regard to the beard's recommendations in the Ashburton. dispute, if none of the employers have applied within the prescribed time to refer the dispute to the court, thero is nothing lo come before tho court, and there is no necessity to eito any of the Asbburton employers." Thero still seems to bo a difference of opinion among those interested as to whethei tho employees who wore parties to the old award, which ' was made a few years ago, but not to the award of la>st August, arc still bound by the former.