TRAMWAYS DISPUTE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 76, 6 May 1914, Page 10

TRAMWAYS DISPUTE.

BEFORE CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

Adjourned from April 8 to allow of the terms of the new award which has been made by the Arbitration Court for the Wellington tramways being obtained, the dispute .between the Christ-, church Tramway Employees' Union of Workers and the Christchurch Tramways Board, was again considered by the Conciliation Council this morning.

Mr J. R. Triggs, Conciliation Commissioned, presided. The Tramway Board's assessors were Messrs J. A. Flesher, G. T. Booth, and A. W. Beaven, and the union's assessors Messrs H. Hunter, J. Nind, and J. Crowley. When the hearing of the.dispute was started it was decided that the discussion should be in committee, iii order to allow of greater freedom of discussion without prejudicing the case if it goes before the Arbitration Court. This morning the Council had the terms of the Wellington award before it, but practically no progress was made, the ground which was covered on the first day being gone over again: The principal point at issue is the mat-, ter of hours of work. The award at present in force established the principle of an eight-lrours day. The Tramways Board desires greater elasticity in this clause, by modifying it to a provision that 96 hours shall be worked on 12 days in a fortnight. This is resisted by the union's representatives, on the ground that such a clause would be capable of abuse by the medium of broken shifts.

With regard to conditions generally, the position is practically that the Tramways Board seeks some relaxation of the conditions of the present award, and the union desires to lighten them a little.

When THE SUN went to press the Council had failed to agree on the major matters of hours anil wages, which, therefore, will be referred to the Arbitration Court, but was considering minor points in the hope of coming to agreement upon them.