FARM LABOURERS' DISPUTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2949, 21 September 1910, Page 41

FARM LABOURERS' DISPUTE.

UNION'S NEW DEMANDS. THREE AWARDS WANTED. The Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Labourers' Union intends again to cite employers under three different applications, At the annual meeting of '.heunion (says the Christchtirch Press), the Fcoretary stated that it was intended to ask for a new award re musterers, packers, and shepherds; an award fixing the minimum rates to be paid to day-men o.n fann = and stations, and an award fixing the hours and wages of general weekly men on farms ami stations. The proposed conditions are a. 5 follows: General Farm Labourers. Genera! farm workers, including ploughmen, milkers, rouseabouts, fencers, teamsters whose time is mostly taken up in working and taking care of horses on a farm or station, but not. a groom, wages 27s 6d per week and found. When a plougihman is working more than four horses he shall receive 2s bd per week for each horse over four. Milkers or men who work horses between milking times on a farm, £1 lfts per week and found* in board and lodgings. Rouseabouts, 27s 6d per week and found in hoard and lodgings. Fencers, 30s per week and found. Hours.—:-Ploughmen from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the following time off for meals; breakfast at 7 a.m. to 7.30; dinner, on<clear hour for dinner: tea, between the hours of 5.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. Ploughmen shall not be compelled to do any work after 5 p.m. or before 7.30 a.m., except only the necessary attention to the horses he is working or has been working. Milkers shall not work mere than nir«> hours per day, to he arranged to suit emplovers, except on Sundays, when no work shall be done except that necessary for the carrying out of the industry. Othor workers, roueeaboufcs and fencers. 4-8 hours per week.

In all casef, a half-holiday shall be allowed on Saturday in each week, except during harvest time, but men looking after horses, oows, etc., must arrange with the employer or with his mates N to have the animals under hi<s charge fed and otherwise attended to at the appointed time. Roys.—Boy* under 16 years of age to l>e paid a minimum wage of not less than 12.; 6d per week and found, with an annual increase of not less than 2s 6d per week till the age of 21 years is reached, when a. minimum wage of 27s 6fl per week and found shall lie paid. Boys under 16 years of age not to be allowed to work more than eight hours per day, and the remaining 16 hours per day to bo absolutely their own time.

Married couple- shall be supplied with house, fuel, and rations free, in lieu of board and lodgings, and no married nia/.i shall receive 10.-,s wages thaiT those stipulated above for the various classes of work he may be engaged to perform, and if hits wife is engaged as cook she shall not received le.ss than the minimum fixed for cooks.

Cooks. —Cooks, whoso principal time i? taken up cooking for and attending on employers on any station or farm, shall receive not less than 30s per week and found, and shall have one week's holiday every six months, or by arrangement, but in no case shall the number of holidays bo less than 14 in the year.

Holidays.—All weekly men shall have thp following holidays on full pay :—New Year's Day. Good Friday, Labour Day, local sports day, local show day. Christmas Day, and Boxing Day, and one week and one day every 12 mouths. Harvest Hours and Wages. —Men employed driving reapers and binders or other harvest mahinery where , horses are employed, 5.30 a.m. to 3p.m., with ihe fellow-. ing time off for meals:—Breakfast, 6.30 a.m. till 7 a.m. ; one clear hour for dinner; two lunches of one half-hour each; tea between the hours of 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Other harvest employees, including stackers, forkers. fitookens. stackers' assistants, hours shall l>c from 7 a.m. till 7 p.m., with the following time oil' for meals: — One halfhoUr before and after dinner for lunch; one clear hour for dinner: tea between 7 p.m. and 8 n.m. Wages—Reaper and binder drivers. £3 per week, or 16 per hour and found for all time worked from 5.30 a.m. till & p.m., except rneal times; carters or drivers of other harvest machinery, £2 15s per week and found, or Is per hour and found ; stackers, £3 per week and found, or Is 6d per hour and found; stackers' assistants, stookers, and forkers, £2 15s per week and found. Overtime may be worked at the rate of time and a-quarter

| for the first four hours or part of that time. Preference of employment to be given i to members of the Canterburv A,t icultural and Pastoral Labourers' Union. Day Labourers. I Hours of Work. —The hours shall be from i 7.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the first five days of • the week, with one hour for dinner; and. from 7.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Rates of Wages.—The following shall be i the minimum rates of wages to be paid:— : Is per hour, except where working in wet i places, when the following conditions shall | prevail: —A worker working in a wot place j shall be supplied with gum-boots by his i employer, or shall be paid Is per day J extra. A wet place is a place where the ; worker has to stand in not less than lin of i water, or where water is dripping on him. : Wages shall be paid fortnightly, and in money : and when not paid in employer's time, all time exceeding 30 minutes sludl be paid for at overtime rates, except in cases where the worker is working at a distance of two miles from hie employer's pla<:e of residence or homestead, when mutual arrangement? may be made; but in no case shall tile term be longer than one month between payments of wages commencing from the time of engagement. Overtime.—All lime beyond the hours hereinbefore mentioned shall be considered overtime, and shall be paid for at the ; rate of time and a-quarter for the first four i hours, and thereafter at the rate of time I and a-half. Holidays.— New Year's Day. Good Fri- ! day, Easter Monday, show day, Christmas : Day. lioxing Day. and local sports day. I Work done on Good Friday. Christinas | Day, and Sunday shail be paid for at the. : rate of double time. Work on any other ] holidays shall be paid for at the rate of time and a-half. I Tools.—All tools shall be supplied by the ! employer. Preference. Preference of employment; shall be given to members of the above union. Musterers, Etc. Wages—(a) Musterer*. when employed to muster sheep for any purpose, shall be paid not les-, than 12s 6d per day if engaged for less than one calendar month. and £3 per week if engaged for one month or more, with an additional payment of Iss for any Sunday on which any musterers 1 ohall be required to do any mustering, 'b) I Any musteror required to do any snow- ! raking shall be paid not iess than £1 per I day while engaged in such work, (c) ' Packers employed in connection with mustering or other casual work not less than ■ 10s per day, if engaged for less than one calendar month, and £2 10s per week if engaged for one month or more, (d) Shep- ; herds: He-ad shepherds on plains or down I country. £1 12s 6d per week, (e) Underi shepherds on plains or down country £1 10s i per week; back or mountain country. £2 1 per week, (i) Casual shepherds on plains i or down country during lambing, shearing, | dipping, etc., 10s per day if engaged* for | one month or !es», and £2 per week if eni gaged for one month or more. Sleeping Accommodation. —In all cases re- | lating to musterers and packers tli3 farm I labourers' accommodation shall apply. j Where married men are' emnloyed. the folj lowing accommodation shall be supplied. j free, by the employer; House, fuel, and I rations; single men board and lodgings in i lieu of the above Matters ;n Dispute. If any questions j shall arise in connection with the provisions ) of this award, or as to anv matter not nro- : vided for bv this award, such questions | shall be settled by agreement between the ] particular employer concerned and the local rej■ -sentative of the union appointed for tha Purpose, and in default of any such agreement the question shall be determined by ;he Stipendiary Magistrate of the dis trict in which the same shall lhave arisen. Preference of Employment.—Preference cf employment, shall be given to members i of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pas- ! toral Labourers' Industrial Union of ! Workers.