UNION PROTESTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23221, 19 June 1937, Page 19

UNION PROTESTS

NO GROCERS’ ASSISTANTS’ AWARD After waiting four months for the Arbitration Court to give Its decision on the application for a new award, members of the Southland Grocers’ Assistants’ Union were disappointed to learn that the court had decided to make no award at present, as it was felt that the time was opportune for a Dominion award. The union has decided to enter a strong protest against the decision and the secretary (Mr W. G. Whitby) has sent a letter to the court. The court expressed the opinion that as now constituted it felt that it was impracticable to deal adequately with evidence which the acting judge had not heard. As many awards were expiring shortly and about the same time, and as the trade appeared to be carried on throughout Now Zealand on more or less uniform lines, (be court inclined to the view that a Dominion award was desirable. It was explained by officials of the union (says the Southland Times) that most of the other grocery awards would expire about October, and that it would be November or December before an application for a Dominion award could be heard by the court When the court sat in Invercargill in February, Mr Justice Page stated that the Southland award would probably form the basis of awards in other centres The union feels that it is justified in protesting to the court against its decision, as it was put to a good deal of expense in going to the Arbitration Court in the first place and will nqw have to bear a share of the costs involved in an application for a Dominion award.