THEATRE WORKERS

Southland Times, Issue 20539, 16 July 1928, Page 11

THEATRE WORKERS

FRONT OF HOUSE EMPLOYEES. UNUSUAL POSITION ARISES. (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, July 13. An unusual position has arisen in the dispute concerning front of the house employees in theatres which came before the Arbitration Court to-day. When the Conciliation Council arrived at its recommendations, the Dunedin employers were not represented directly but by a Wellington man. Mr Cookson for the Dunedin employers stated to-day that the effect of the new recommendations was to increase the rate of pay of employees under clause 7 of the existing agreement by nine shillings per week which was out of all proportion to the increases granted to other employees. Dunedin had no continuous pictures and there were certain anomalies as compared with conditions in other centres. These variations he maintained were caused by the absence of the Dunedin emploj’ers representative at the Conciliation Council. Mr Hammond who appeared for the Wellington and Canterbury employers (Auckland is not concerned in the dispute) said it was to be regretted the Dunedin employers should see fit to repudiate the agreement made by their own representative. He said it cast a stigma on all employers of the Dominion. If parties whether they be employers or workers were to be allowed to interfere with the recommendation of the Conciliation Councils merely because in some instances there were provisions which did not meet with their approval, then conciliation proceedings would become a farce. The workers’ representatives contended that the Court should carry out the agreements made by the Conciliation Councils,

Mr Justice Frazer stated that there was a section in the Act which provided that the recommendation of the Conciliation Council was not binding on the court. The court preferred that the recommendation should be accepted wherever possible. It might happen sometimes that one section of the employers was not properly represented at the Conciliation Council. He was not referring to this case but such a position was possible. It was a great pity that in this case the representative was not properly instructed as to the conditions appertaining to Dunedin. Mr Frazer said the court would consider the whole facts and give a decision later.