NEW AWARD FOR LABOURERS

Southland Times, Issue 23773, 22 March 1939, Page 3

NEW AWARD FOR LABOURERS

EMPLOYERS OPPOSE CLASSIFICATIONS MR MOUNTJOY QUOTES AUSTRALIAN WAGES (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 21. The hearing by the Court of Arbitration of the application for a new Dominion award to cover builders and general labourers was continued today, when the case for the applicant union was completed and the case for the employers partially completed. Eleven witnesses were called for the union and three witnesses gave evidence today for the employers. The hearing will be concluded tomorrow, when the remaining three witnesses for the employers will give evidence, , following which the carpenters’ and joiners’ dispute will begin. Dealing with the submissions made by Mr P. M. Butler, advocate for the applicant union, Mr W. J. Mountjoy, for the employers, contended that the union was seeking an unnecessary classification of workers by claiming that new types of work were ever increasing, because of the development of new methods in operation. In this schedule Mr Butler sought 2d an hour above the minimum rate for wheeling barrows on raised platforms and scaffolds, 2d an hour extra for crusher feeders and an increase for men carrying materials up a height greater than six feet. Mr Mountjoy said that this was work that had been performed by labourers on the minimum wage for years. The classifications appeared to be merely an attempt to secure increases in wages. Australian labourers’ awards were quoted by Mr Mountjoy to show that New Zealand workers were far better off under the current labourers’ award. He opposed a weekly rate for builders’ labourers and cited the Public Works Department and others whose labourers were paid on an hourly basis. To introduce the weekly rates of pay for building trade labourers in New Zealand, with its climatic conditions, would result in a serious and unwarranted increase in the cost of production.

Mr Mountjoy urged that the Court’s standard rate pronouncement of 1937 should be the wages fixed for the workers. He also asked that the term of award should be not less than two years.