TAILORS’ AWARD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25455, 9 February 1944, Page 4

TAILORS’ AWARD

INCREASED WAGES SOUGHT The Arbitration Court—Mr Justice Tyndall, Mr A. L. Monteith, and Mr W. Cecil Prime —was engaged yesterday morning hearing a dispute concerning wages, holidays, and other conditions relating to the Otago and Southland Tailors’ award and the Otago and Southland Tailoresses’ award. The court reserved its decision in all the matters raised. An extra day’s paid holiday was sought by each union covered by the two awards. In the case of the tailoresses, increases were desired in apprentices’ and journeywomen’s wages to bring them into line with those of other centres. The Tailors’ Union and the employers had previously agreed on wage increases, and in accordance with the Economic Stabilisation Regulations, 1942, submissions were made to the court to show that an anomaly existed which warranted application for an alteration in the award. Miss J. Runciman, who appeared for the Tailoresses’ Union, said that the wage increases asked for were based on those of Christchurch and Wellington. Full agreement with the employers had not been possible owing to divergent views whether the " team system ” which was operating in other centres should be provided for in the Otago award. ’’ We cannot agr_e to the ‘ team system,’ ” Miss Runciman said. ” Our award provides for a modified system which we consider meets the purpose. The objection of the shop tailoresses is that, with the ‘ team system,’ the apprentices, after four years of sei-vice, are not always as competent as if they had served under a journeyman or journeywoman. We are proud of the standard of work which we have set up in Dunedin, and oppose any suggestion which might lower that standard.”

”We had been prepared to agree to wage increases as in other centres,” said Mr A. Martin, president of the Dunedin Master Tailors’ Association, “ but we consider that we should have the right to operate the ’ team system.’ We must progress, and to do this we must have facilities provided in awards to enable us to use new machinery and methods. The cost of clothing is high and anything that can be done to reduce it should be encouraged.” .

With regard to the request o'f both unions for an extra day’s paid holiday each year, Mr Martin said he thought (hat, in the light of present conditions, adequate provision had been made for holidays. Regarding the terms of the proposed new awards, each union sought a one-year term and the employers a two-year term.