EMPLOYERS SEEK NEW RATIO

Southland Times, Issue 24113, 30 April 1940, Page 6

EMPLOYERS SEEK NEW RATIO

MORE APPRENTICES WANTED application by coach BUILDERS (Special to The Times) DUNEDIN, April 29. An application for an amendment to the existing apprenticeship order _to allow of an increase in the proportion of apprentices to journeymen, was brought by Otago and Southland coach and motor-body builders in the Court of Arbitration today. Mr J. A. Gilmour, S.M., presided. Mr F. C. Scrivener appeared for the applicants and Mr J. Robinson for the union. The application was for an alteration to Clause 6 of the existing order allowing one apprentice to two or a fraction of two journeymen, to provide one apprentice to every journeyman. Mr Scrivener stated that the changed conditions made it absolutely necessary for greater freedom to be given if sufficient journeymen were to be made available to cope with the work offering under reasonable conditions of employment without having to resort to overtime. The employers were mostly concerned with panel beaters. It was the shortage of journeymen, a. position that was aggravated by enlistments, that was causing concern. Repair work to cars was the predominant work done and in almost every case the vehicle was urgently required, so that overtime had to be worked. For the union Me Frederick Tombs, a member of the Apprenticeship Committee, stated that the committee had made arrangements during the depression for a one to one ratio to apply to panel beating. The Magistrate said that the alteration to the ratio in the panel beating branch would be noted by the Court, which would reserve its decision about the application for an amendment to the ratio in other branches of the industry.