ARBITRATION COURT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18199, 21 March 1921, Page 6

ARBITRATION COURT

The Dunedin sittings of the Arbitration Court were continued on Friday, Mr Jus tice Frazer presiding. avvAß,jjS FILED. The court meu us awuicis m the following aisputes: otago jiaigine-drivers. Firemen, and Greasers.—lhe court iias settled tue wages and exemptions, but in all otlier respects the aWaru euxoodies the recommendations ot the Conciliation Council. 'ihe wages clause is in accordance with former decisions ot the court. The exemptions are substantially as in the former awara, there being no evidence to justify any departure from what has been settled on lormer occasions.- The wages to be paid shall be: Engine-drivers with a first mass certificate, l/s per day; with a second class certificate, 16s; lor work requiring a traction or locomotive certificate, 17s; winding enginedrivers holding the required certmcate, IVs; Bremen, Ids od; greasers, 16s 6d. The wages are increased by a bonus ot 6d per day. Otago and Southland Harvest Hands, Thrashing Mill, arid Chatfcutter Employees. —The award embodies, with, the e.'tception of clauses 3 (wages) and 14 (workers’ com pensation), the recommendations of tne Conciliation Council. The court has settled tlie wages clause, and by consent has added a clause defining the respective liabilities of farmer and miii owner under the Workers’ Compensation for Accidents Act. The latter clause is a modification of the corresponding clause in the Marlborough award, and affects the mill owner only in respect of actual work performed olf a farm. The, minimum rates of wages to be paid to all workers shall bo Is 9d per hour and found. The mill owner shall pay to the band-cutter or other worker who steers the engine and assists the driver an additional ±!l 5s per week. A bonus ot 2id per hour has been granted. Otago General Labourers (Coalyard Employees’ Section). —The award embodies the recommendations of the Conciliation Council. The court has settled the wages clause. The wages for permanent workers shall be £3 16s per week, aawi for casual workers Is 9d per hour. The rates are increased by a bonus of 10s per week to permanent hands and by a bonus of 3d per hour to casual workers. Otago General Labourers (Builders, and Contractors’ Labourers’ Section). —The award, except as to bonuses, embodies the recommendations of the Conciliation Council. A lionus ot 3|d per hour has been granted. Dunedin Gardeners. —A clause relating to hours and wages has been settled by the court. A suggested classification of the industry was discussed, but the court had not sufficient material before it to enable it to prepare any classification. It, therefore, recommends the parties to formulate, a scheme of classification when a new award is under consideration. It appeared to the court that the employers’ counter-proposals in relation to a clause governing the employment of youths would be more properly given effect to when a classification was made providing for an intermediate grade of gardeners, as the youths would then quality for admission to the intermediate grade. For this reason the youths’ clause has been omitted. In other respects the court has adopted the recommendation of the Conciliation Council. In view of the committee’s decision it was found unnecessary to deal specifically with the application for exemption by the Otago Hospital Board. An ordinary week’s work shall consist of 48 hours. Competent nurserymen or landscape gardeners shall be paid not less than 2s per hour, and if' engaged by the week '£4 10s. Any worker not competent to perform ■ general nursery and landscape gardening work shall b© termed a “nursery and landscape gardener’s labourer,” and shall be paid not less than Is 7d per hour for casual work, and if engaged by the' week £3 15s. The following bonuses have been granted;—3|d per hour to hourly workers ; 8s per week to_ weekly workers. Otago, and Southland Grocers. —The court ‘has settled wholly, or in part, the clauses relating to hours, wages, terms of engagement, holidays, canvassers, interpretation, casual workers, and clerks. In other respects the award embodies thepfecommendations of the Conciliation Council. Fortyeight hours Shall constitute a week’s work, to be worked between the following hours: From 8.15 a.m. to 5,30 p.m. on four days, from 8.15 to 9 on one day, and from 8.15 to 12.30 on the statutory halLholiday. Overtime is to bo paid at the' rate of time and a-half for the first three hours, and thereafter double time. The minimum rates of wages to grocers’ assistants shall be: —From 15 to 16 years of age, 15s per week; from 16 to 17, £1; from 17 to 18,£1 7s 6d; from 18. to 19, .£2; from 19 to 20. £2 10s; from 20 to 21, £3; from 21 to 22, £3 10s; over 22, £4 2s 6d. of 22 years of age and upwards shall be paid £4 2s 6d per week. A bonus of 8s per week has been granted. Otago and Oamaru Flourmillers’ Employees.—The award embodies without alteration the recommendations of the Conciliation Council. Otago and Southland Lime, Cement, and Phosphate Employees.—Tire award embodies the recommendations of the Conciliation Council. 'The bonus, by agreement, includes all bonuses up to and including that of November, 1920. Engine drivers have been excluded from the award. Otago and Southland Brickmakers, Pottery Workers, and Sanitary Pipemakers.— The award embodies, with certain alterations, consented to by the parties, the recommendations of the Conciliation Council. i

Otago and Southland Saddlcmakers, Harness Makers, Collarmakers, etc,—The award embodies the recommendations of the Conciliation Council. A clause (2b) has been inserted defining a “saddler,” and follows the wording of the corresponding clause of the old award. The wages were agreed to,; subject to the condition that if the bonus declared as payable from November 1, 1920, exceeded lid per hour the wages would be increased by the amount of the excess. The firms of Alex. Thompson and Sons -and M'Grath and Emslie have not been added as parties to award. The court has thus left it open for covermakers to be' specially considered if an award covering sailrnakers, tentmakers, and covermakers is applied for. Dunedin and Suburban Boot Repairers.— ■The court has settled the wages clause, and has reinserted clause 11 of the old award. In other respects the award embodies the recommendations of the Conciliation Council. Except -where otherwise provided, the rate of wages shall be Is lOd per hour.. An employer may enter into an agreement with any of his employees for the payment of a weekly wage of not less than £4 ner week. A. bonus baa been granted of 3d per hour to workers on hourly wages and of 8s per week to workers on weekly wages. INTERPRETATIONS. The Inspector of Awards applied for an interpretation of a clause in the Dunedin journalists’ award. The question put to the court was: “Should a cadet employed in the sub-editor’s room count in the pro portion of grading of the reporting staffs tor the purpose of clause ,5?” The court, in its decision, states: “Clause 5 determines the grading of the reporting staff. The sub-editorial staff is not part of the reporting staff, but is a separate department. Clause 6 (d) defines a cadet as one who is in training for journalism by assisting the reporters’ staff or assisting in the subeditor’s room, but who has not had three years’ experience. There is no grading of the sub-editorial staff. If, then, a cadet is wholly or substantially employed on the sub-editor’s staff, ho cannot be regarded as a member of the reporting staff, and cannot be counted in the grading of that staff. In view, of the use of the word ‘or ’ instead of ‘ and ’ in the definition of cadet; the' contention thait px-ovisicn has boe.u made only for the purpose of permitting a cadet on the reporting staff to be employed for part of his time in the subeditor’s room is unsound, and there is no justification for reading the word ‘or ’ as ‘ and.’ ” The Inspector of Awards applied for an interpretation of a clause in the general electrical Workers’ award. The questions put to the court were: (1) “Is it competent tor an employer to employ workers before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m. on five days of the week and before 8 a.m. or after 12 noon on Saturday, when -such workers aro not employed between the said hours, or in excess of 44 hours in the week? (2) If so, are overtime rates payable to workers who are nob employed during ordinary working hours for time workers before 8 a.m. and after ti p.m. on five days of the week and before 8 a.m. and after noon on Saturdays?” The court, in the course of its decision, Estates: “The present case is not provided for by the award. If it is permissible to employ a worker who works between the specified hours to perform additional work before and after those hours, it is equally' permissible to employ before or after those hours a worker who has not worked his full eight hours or four hours between them. Unless, however, his daily work is ‘in excess of’ the number of hours specified, he is not entitled to claim overtime rates. The award does not contain the usual clauses dealing with matters not specifically provided for, so in the event of the employers and the union being unable to reach an agreement as to the terms on which such e worker may be ■employed, the matter may be referred to the court for decision.”

CHEESE AND BUTTER MAKERS. Mr T. O’Byrne appeared for the union and Messrs A. S. Cookson and A. H. Mockrell for the employers. The chief matters in dispute were wages and hours. Mr O’Byrne said that as regarded . wages all the union was asking for was a matter of a few shillings a week. He did not propose to go into details, but would call a tew witnesses. He asked" for a slight amendment to cover a man employed _ by the T. and P. Co. at planing, machining, and box-making. The President intimated that that could be discussed later. Edwin John Childs, third assistant at the Mosgiel Cheese Factory, said that four assistants were employed in the height of the season. He considered that the increases asked for were not too. much. Alexander Turner, fourth assistant at the Momona factory, said that the milk commenced to come in at 6.30 a.m., and continued till about 9 a.m. At the height of the season 4000 gallons of milk were handled daily. His wages were £3 18s per week, and his hours totalled about 70. When not employed at the factory he worked as a carpenter’s labourer, and in a 44-hour week earned something over £4 per week. However, he preferred cheese-making to carpentry He considered that the work of the factory could be done in a 50-hour week, as was being asked by the union.', William Lockhart, employed in the cheese curing room at the T. and P. factory, said his wages were £4 10s per week, including ‘the 10s bonus, but not the 3s bonus. _ He worked 48 hours a week, and considered that all. the work in the factory could be done in eight hours each day. Mr O’Byrne said that a 48-hour week was worked in Australia, and the industry had to compete in the open market with New Zealand.

Harry Lucas said he was employed at the T. and P. factory as a machinist for boxmaking. He had been there.3£ years, and received £3 12s per week. He had been a machinist for 20 years, working at various timber yards in the city. He desired to be covered by the cheese makers’ award. William Henry West, in charge of the milk on the receiving stage of the T. and P. Company, said he received £4 10s per week, and had five men under him. His duty was to accept delivery of all milk and attend to its distribution. He commenced work at 3 a.m. and finished on an average about midday. Witness himself was then finished for the day, hut others came on again at 9 p.m. The present award did not cover either himself or those under him. Some of the men at 8 а. and these were again on duty in the evening. The only reason he could see for the company objecting to their coming under the award was to keep down the “grade” of the factory.—To Mr Mackrell: His work was entirely connected with the receiving and delivery of milk, mainly for town supply; they had nothing to do with the butter and cheese factory further than that it, or some other factory, was necessary to take the surplus milk. Mr Mackrell suggested that the T. and P. Company, in view of the numerous departments . and the difference existing , between it .and ordinary cheese "and butter factories, should be governed by a separate award. _ • James Henry Johnston, first assistant in the butter-making department of the T and P. Company, also gave evidence. Arthur Laird, employed by the Waitaki Company at Oamani, receiving and pasteurising cream, said that there were six men and a traveller employed, part of hjs time in the factory. Witness "had worked up to 125 hours in one fortnight this season. He had worked up to 12 hours a day on several occasions. He worked half a day on Sunday His wages totalled £3 19s 6d per week, including all bonuses.^ Mr Mackrell said that the previous award had been arrived at in conference between the parties, and the employers considered it was a very good basis to go up'on. If drastic changes were made they would probably make a big difference to the industry as a whole. Six or nine months ago the prospects were very good, but with the sudden collapse that had occurred in other commodities’it was quite to bo expected that dairy produce might collapse also. The banks financing the dairy companies had announced that they would allow them to operate on the bank only to the extent of 8d per lb as against Is per lb a few weeks ago. That indicated that the banks, watching the position of the market at Home, were assuming that the value of cheese was going to oome back at least one-third. It colild not be said that the outlook for dairy produce was as good as previously, and it would probably become worse. Mr Mackrell dealt*at length with the hours of work, particularly referring to cheese factories, where the’ hours must necessarily be Air Bowman, manager of the Waitaki Dairy Company, confirmed the statements made by Mr Mackrell as regarded the conditions in the factories. With' regard to cheese-making, Mr Bowman said that from the time the rennet was put in the milk till the cheese was made it took seven hours to turn out a first-class article. It took_ anything from an hour and a-half to two hours to receive the milk 'at the factory, and in view of the work that hag to be done after the cheese was made, it would be seen that it was quiet impossible to carry on with an eight-hour day. If all the milk were at the factory by 9 a.m. the men should be cleaned up and away by 5 p.m. They would need to start work at the factory at б. a.m. Mr Cookson pointed out, among other matters, that the union, in making claims, had departed largely from the existing award, but had shown no particular necessity. The award had been in operation for many years, and there was no necessity for any departure from the general conditions. After Mr O’Byrne had addressed the court the President remarked that the fight had been fought with very good feeling on both .sides. The award will probably be filed to-day. OTAGO STONEMASONS. The president said that the only matter in dispute was the wages clause, and a minimum rate had to be fixed for under-rate workers. Mr Breen, for the union, said, he had come to tho conclusion that the union was decidedly prejudiced by the award alread> made in’the Auckland district. The Stonemasons’ Union was one of the oldest organisations of the nature in the dominion, and stonemasons hod always been, regarded as quite apart from the ordinary skilled trades, the increased wages margin being very considerable —so much so that until 1913 the court had never had to be approached. To-day there was only a difference of lid per hour. He would, therefore, ask the court to go into the question of deciding on a wage a little higher than was given in Auckland, where the award was made a year ago. Evidence was given for the union by Thomas Graham and Frederick Grenfell. The first witness said the dust raised by stone-cutting machines

was more injurious to health than bond working, and added that one machine might do the work of 50 cutters. Mr Cookson said that, so far as the wages were concerned, he would not trouble the court further than to refer to the rates in the Auckland award. With regard to sandstone, the employers were quite agreeable to the continuance of the extra rate of 2d per hour, but could not see why it should be increased by 50 per cent. It was not necessary that' a man should serve an apprenticeship as a stonemason to work one of the machines. Anybody could work them. Their use would lead to more building in stone. Henry S. Bingham, for monumental firms, contended that there should be a separate award for monumental workers. _ It was agreed to accept the term granite as covering Trachyte, Orepuki, and, Coromandel stone. His Honor intimated that the case would be considered. This case concluded the Dunedin sittings. The Awaed Filed. The award was filed on Saturday morning. In all respects, except wages, theaward embodies the recommendations of the Conciliation Council. All journeymen stonemasons' shall be paid not less than 2». lad per hour, and all journeymen monumental masons (excluding fixers and polislor:) 2s per hour. An additional 2d per He shall be paid to every stonemason engage.- in working- imported sandstone. When granites are being worked extra remuneration at the rate of 2s 6d per week shall be added to th? wages otherwise paid. A bonus of ojd per hour has been granted. BUTCHEES’ AWAED. In the Dunedin and suburban operative i butchers’ dispute the principal matters settled by the court relate to hours, wages, and holidays. In other respects the award embodies the recommendations of the Conciliation Council. A week’s work shall not exceed 48 hours. The hours on four days of the week shall be from 7.30 a.m. to 5 p.m., on one day from 7.30 to 6,‘ and on one day from 7!30 to noon. An employer shall have the option of selecting Wednesday or Saturday as the half-holiday, and shall also have the option of selecting the day on which he may employ'his assistants until 6 p.m. The wages to be paid shall be not less than £5 5s to the first shopman or man® in charge, £4 15s to the second shopman, £5 5s to the first smallgoods man. £4 10s to all other workers. A bonus of «5s per week has been granted. All workers shall receive the following holidays:—New Year’s Day, January 2, Good Friday, Easter Monday. Easter Saturday* Labour Day, the birthday of the reigning Sovereign, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Anniversary ■ Day, and the day of the annual picnic. A holiday of one week on full pay shall be granted to each worker on completion of each year of service. The award comes into force on the 4th of next month afed expires on April 4, 1922.