CONCILIATION COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17874, 3 March 1920, Page 2

CONCILIATION COUNCIL

WAREHOUSEMEN'S "OMON. FIKST DISPUTE OF ITS KIND, . COMPLETE- AGREEMENT ARRIVED '! ■ " r ' ' AT. ' : ' ■ ' f. !■■'< | The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr> W.j H. Hagger) sat yesterday to hear the 'industrial dispute the Dunedin Amalgamated Warehousemen's Union. This dispute was the first of its kind to be taken in New Zealand.

The assessors for the employers- were Messrs T. Glendining, James Stark, and A. S. Cookscm, and for the union Messrs E.; Chetwin, A. Todd, and A. Ford (with'.Mr L. I<\ Evans as agent). _ , , Forty-rpight employers were cited; twenty of whom asked for exemption from the terms of the award. The wholesale Dunediu grocery houses wore exempted, their representatives pointing out that they employed only storemen, packers, and clerks, and no warehousemen. Tho firms of Scoullar and (Jhisholm, Wright, Stephenson, and Co., Riach and M'Lennan, and R. Malcolm (Ltd.) were also,struck out. The objection of seven Invercargill firms and one or two others, to being included was left over for decision by the Arbitration Court. The leading olaims of the union were as follow:— 1

Interpretation.—For the purpose of this award every person shall be deemed to be a warehouseman who is _ engaged in any capacity in connection with the reception, display, sale, or delivery of goods or orders for goods in or for wholesale establishments of those employers who are bound by-: this award. ■ 1

Classification of Workers.—Warehousemen shall be'classified as follows Apprentices, juniors, seniors, and travellers and r>toremsn and packers -svho are not included in the Otago Provincial Storemen's and Packers' Award,' dated August 18, 1018. A traveller is an employee engaged in canvassing for orders for goods, or selling orders for goods or in collecting moneys within a radius of 15 miles from the Chief Post Office of Dunedin and Inveroargill respectively. A senior is aai employee who has served five years as a warehouseman. A junior is an employee who has served more than three years and less than five years as a warehouseman. An apprentice is an employee who has served less than three years as a warehouseman. A storeman or packer is an employee engaged solely lor generally packing or unpacking goods. Hours of Work.—The hours of work shall j be on the first five days of the week from 8.30. a.m. to 4.30 p.m., and an Saturdays from 8.20 a.m. to 12 noon. One hour shall bo allowed for dinner each day except Saturday. ' Wages.—Warehousemen 16 years of age and under, entering tho trade without previous ' experience, shall bo paid not less than the Tate of wages set out in tho following scale:—During- tha first year of service, £1 per week; sccond years, £1 7s 6d; third year, £i 15s; fourth year, £2 15s; fifth ycai £3 15s; and thereafter for seniors. £4 10s: and thereafter for travellers, £5 10s. A warehouseman entering the trade without previous experience from the age of if to 18 years .shall be treated as having entered upon his second year of; service, and shall be paid in accordance with the said scale. From tha age of 18 to 19 years shall be treated as having entered upon his third year of service; from the age of 19 years and over shall be treated as having entered upon his fourth year of service. In addition to the rates of wages above prescribed there shall be paid to apprentices a bonus of 2s per week, and to juniors, seniors, and travellers a bonus of 4s per week unless ana until the court shall otherwise order. Storemen and Packers.—Storemen and packers over the age of 21 yeara substantially employed at work usually performed by storemen and packers, such, as receiving, delivery of, collecting, packing, and despatching goods, shall be paid not less than I the following wages—viz.: Head storemen or , packers in charge of two or • more mon otha-r than casuals. £4 per week; or packers, £5 10b per week. To the rates prescribed in sub-clause (a) hereof there : shall be added n bonus of 4s per week unless and until the court otherwise' orders.' Junior Storemen and Packers.—Junior storemen and packers shall be paid in accordance with the following scale:—Tinder 17 years of age, £1; 17 to 18, £1 "ss; 18 to 19, £1 10s; 19 to 20, £1 15s; 20 to 21, £2; and thereafter the minimum wage. To the rates prescribed there shall be added' ner week, unless and until the court otherwise orders, tho following bonuses—viz.: Under 17 years of age, 3s 6d; 17 to 18, 4s; 18 to 19, 4s W; 19 to 20, ss; ,20 to 21, 5s 6d. , Overtime and Holidays.—All 'work done outside of or in excess of the hours mentioned in clause 2 hereof shall count as overtime, and shall be paid for at the rate of time and a-half for the first three hours and thereafter double time. The following shall, be the recognised holidays:— Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Satur-, day, Easter Monday, Labour Dayj and the' birthday of the reigning Sovereign. One;, holiday of 10 days on full pay shall begranted to each worker under this award' on completion of each year of service, and at a time to be.mutually arranged between; the employer and worker. . Proportion of Apprentices to Seniors.— The proportion of apprentices and juniors to seniors in any warehouse or branch warehouse shall not be more than one apprentice or junior to one senior assistant.

"" The counter-claims of the employers were as follow: — ; For the purposes of_ this award warehousemen shall be classified as follows:—A senior is an employee who has served five years as a warehouseman; a junior is an employee wLo has served more than three years antj less than five years as a warehouseman kn apprentice is an employee who has served less than three years as a warehouseman. —This clause was agreed to.

Hours of work.—The hours of work shall bo: On the iirst five days of the week from 8 a.m to 5 p.m., and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. One hour shall be allowed for dinner each day except Saturday. \Vages.—Warehousemen 17 years of age and under, -rjterin°; the trade without previous experience, shall be paid not less tn&n the rate of wages set out'in the following, soale:—During the first year of service, £1 per week; second, £1 7a 6d; third, £1 15s; fourth, £2 7s 6d; fifth, £3; and thereafter, £5 15s. A warehouseman entering the trade without previous experience, from the age >f 18 to 19 years, shall be treated as having entered upon his second year of scrvice, and shall be paid in accordance with the said scale; from, the age of 19 to 20 years shall be treated as.having entered upon his third year of service; from the age of' 20 years and over shall be treated as having entered upon his fourth year of service, in addition to the rates of wages above prescribed there shall be paid to apprentices and juniors a bonus of 2s per week, and to seniors a bonus of 4s per week, unless and until the court shall otherwise order.

Mr Cookson said- they could not sjrree to travellers, storomen, and packers being- included in the scopo <A the award. Storemen and packers wero coverrcd by ilm Otago Pronvincial Storomen's and Packers' award, to which the firms at present concerned were also parties.' Tho interpretation clause was altered, clerks, storomen, and packers being excluded. With this alteration tho interpretation was agreed to. A" traveller toas classified to mean an employee who is wholly or substantially engaged in canvassing: for ordera for foods or selling orders for goods within the_ city and suburbs of Duneain 'and I6veroa:gill respectively. A long discussion took place on tie question of wages. The Commissianor suggested that a wage of £4 (plus bonus) might b*given to an employee after six years' service, and the rest of tho wages altered by the employers be adopted. The union assessors were agreeable to the proposal; but tihe • omployers' assessors would not agree, pointing out that £3 15s (plus a bonus) was the- wago provided ' for in tho retailers' award. It was finally agreed to accept the wages proposed by the employers, with the addition that travellers should receive a minimum wage of £4 10s per week. It was agreed that tihe hours of work should be not rrtoro than 44 per week, to bo worked between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on five days of the -week and between 8 a.m. and noon on Saturdays. ■■ ■ * It waa agreed that the Christmas holidays should extend from Christmas Day ■up to and including tho day following New Year's Day (provided that it Bhall not; be compulsory for wholesale druggists to observe holidays on the days between Boxing Day and Now Tear's Day). The other holidays as named in the union's claims were agreed to. Mr Stark undertook that the holidays lost by druggists' employees during the Christmas time would be mado up to tho^a. The union demand of a hob'day of 10 days each year was deleted. ° A deadlock arose over tho demand b" the employers .th&t employees might- bo on for 42 hours' ovortime, without "pay, during stock-taking. Tho employers..offered to reduce the overtime to 30 hours, but the union would not agree, Mr Evans saying it was a bad principle to ask men to work ovortimo without pay. Finally the employers withdrew .tho clause regarding overtime.

It -was agreed that tho proportion of apprentices should bo one apprentice and on« junior to each, senior. It was agreed that casual hands snoulcij in tho cago of senior niale aaastanta, bo paid not less than Is lOd per hour. Tho Sctopo of tho award! was altered to includo I'lig industrial disfcrdot of Otago and Southland. , Tho award 13 to come into operation, on March 1, and remain in forco for two years.