CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15827, 28 July 1913, Page 7

CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

QUARRY WORKERS AND OWNERS. AGREEMENT ARRIVED AT. A sitting of the Conciliation Council was held beforo Mr J. R. Triggs (commissioner) on Saturday morning for the purpose of hearing a dispute between the Otago Genera! Labourers' Union and the quarry owners. At a conference between the two parties on May 16 an agreement of an iniornial nature was arrived at, and the proceedings on Saturday- morning had been instituted by the Labourers' Union with the object of having an award formulated in terms of that agreement. The citation included eight public bodies and seven private companies or individuals. The assessors for the union were Messrs C. E. Price, It B. Hoskin, and D. Tennant, and for tho owners Messrs T. Arnold, G. Calder, and R. A. Pa,!mer. Mr J. E. MaoJlaniM, as agent, conducted' the case for the union. Mr M, Stevenson, who was one of those cited, asked whether or not his name should remain on tho list. Considerable discussion took place on the point, and eventually both sets of assessors expressed the opinion that it was immaterial to them whether Mr Stevenson remained on or not. On being given his option in the matter Mr Stevenson elected to have his name struck off. /, The Commissioner then proceeded to read over tho terms of the informal agreement, and, as these had been practically agreed to at the previous conference, no time was l lost in discussion. The agreement that was arrived at reads as follows:— j

A week's work shall not exceed 48 hours, to be worked between the hours of 7.30 a.m.

and 5 p.m., with three-quarters of an hour for lunch on the first fire days, and from 7.20 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays. Tho following- shall be the minimum rates of for workers engaged jn quarry work:—Workers employed squaring stone, getting out pitchers, building stone, kerbstone and paving stono ready for masons shall bo paid Is 4<l per hour; certificated men using explosives, Is 3d per hour; workers using explosives where quarry face is lees than i-Mffc in height, Is 3d per hour; all other workers Is lyd per hour. ' Any employer who sublets work or gives piecework must do so at a price that men so employed receive not less than the mini-

mum rate of wages under this award. All wages shall bo paid weekly or fortnightly on eil.her Friday or Saturday, and

not more"' thau two days' wages shall be kept in hand by the employer. 'If men are called upon) to come to the office to receive their wages, they shall do so in the employer's time, or be paid for such tame taken in going to the office. In the event of a worker being dismissed he shall receive all wages due to him the same day, or bo paid for all the time taken in waiting for a final settlement.

All time worked beyond the hours mentioned in clause 1 hereof shall bo considered! overtime, and shall be paid for at tho rate of time and a-quarter for tho first hour, and time and a-half afterwards. (Remainder to be same as in clause 5 of 1910 award.)

All tools shall be provided by the employer.

Then follow the usual clauses dealing with underrato workers and preference to unionists, both of which were agreed to. The award will apply only to employers whose quarries are within the Otago district.

The term of the award will be for one year, to commeneo on a date to be fixed by the Arbitration Court.

At the conclusion cf the business the Commissioner remarked that the sitting had been one of the shortest on record eo far as ho Jind been concerned, and this desirable result had been largely duo to the ablo manner in which Mr MacManus had conducted the case.

Mr Arnold expressed his pleasure at hearing the Commissioner say that. Personally, he had appeared three times before the council, and he had been struct; by the modt'rafo tone which the workers' representatives had> adopted in tho negotiations. No doubt the good • terms secured by the worker.* were largely due to that fact. However, he might state that the employers recognised the capabilities of the men generally, and were not at all averse to granting fair improvements in their conditions. He also desired to thank Mr Triggs for his tactful handling of the case. Mr MacManus also thanked Mr Triggs, and, in doing so, ho mentioned that tire agreement which they had just completed had been arrived at ; on the understanding that the other centres were going for a dominion award with Otago. They had made tho term of the award only one year so as to enable them to adopt the new constitutional machinery. This had been done without prejudice to the cases here or elsewhere.

Mr Triggs said he thought it Vaa a satisfactory settlement, for ho had seen the Canterbury men in conference, and they had adopted practically the same terms as" those deckled upon that morning. Mr MacManus: For how long? Mr Triggs: I cannot eay from memory, but it was not for' long. Mr MaoMamis: Well that rather settles us. Our agreement was intended to be only tentative, >