The Boot Trade.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7449, 1 October 1895, Page 3

The Boot Trade.

Christchhrch, Saturday. The statements on behalf of the employers and operatives presented at the boot trade conference have been published. The men object to the following clauses in the statement prepared by the employers :— " (1.) Employer has the sole right to determine who he shall employ or dismiss." "(2.) Employers or employees, either individually or through any organisation, shall not discriminate for or against any person, because he is or is not a member of any organisation." " (3.) There shall be no restriction in employment or wages of hands engaged by the week when wages are satisfactory to employers and employed ; subject to a recognised minimum in special branches, and any person shall be at liberty to arrange with his employer to work on the weekly wage Byßtem." The manufacturers claim that the point sought to be established by these clauses was the placing upon an equal footing of both organisations. - Under the old arrangement all members of the Manufacturers' Association were bound to observe all conditions of the statement, and to employ none but union men. The same obligations were not observed by the union men, as they worked for manufacturers outside the association, who made their own regulations, and worked at a decided advantage. The operatives think that the proposals mean that an employer cannot only have non-union men, but also that he can have non-union men working on the weekly wage system while the unionists are working on piece work. Not only so, but he may have & special department where these mea shall be. All union men would refrain from working at such shops, provided the associated shops guarantee to employ only members of the union. Both tides made reference to proposed arbitration, but the operatives think the clauses should have been put to the meeting one by one, and those objected to should be referred to arbitration by the iatroduc«re, who should defend them ia Caacfc.