THE DRAPERY TRADE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 827, 4 October 1916, Page 11

THE DRAPERY TRADE.

SHOP ASSISTANTS' CONFERENCE.

NEW CLAIMS AND PROPOSALS. The report of the first annual conference of the Retail and Softgoods Employees' Unions has just been issued. The conference was held at Christchurch. Mr Croskery, secretary of the Wellington Union, was appointed chairman, and Mr Steel, of the Dunedin union, secretary.

The conference proceeded to discuss the new claims, those put forward by the Dunedin Union being taken as a basis, and agreed to with certain modifications. The differences as between the claims for the proposed Dominion award and the existing Canterbury award include an extension of the interpretation of the term "shop assistant" to include branch manager and manageress, window-dressers, canvassers, department managers, clerks, and cashiers, and female packers, .seniors and juniors, instead of the old classification providing for apprentices, improvers, and assistants. The new interpretation also embraces those engaged on orders for goods as well as those engaged in their reception, display, sale, and delivery. A branch manager is defined as a shop assistant in charge or in superintendence of a branch shop with or without the duty of buying. Other definitions agreed to were as follow:—

Window-dresser: An employee wholly or substantially employed in the display of goods in the window or shop for public inspection. Canvasser: An employee engaged in canvassing for orders for goods or in collecting moneys.

Senior: An employee who has served six years in the trade as a shop assistant. ,' Junior: An employee who has served more than three years and less than six as an assistant.

A proportion clause is included, providing that the number of juniors or apprentices employed in any one shop shall not exceed two juniors or apprentices lo cither one, two, or three seniors, and one additional junior or apprentice to either one, two, or tnree seniors over the first three. For the purposes of this clause an employer actively engaged in the management of the business shall be classed as a senior.

Clerks and cashiers are defined as employees engaged in any kind of clerical work in connection with the retail establishments wherein they arc employed. Other definitions remain as in existing awards.

The wages asked for are as follow ;—Branch manager or manageress, £5 15/- per week; department manager or manageress, £5 10/-; window dressers £5; canvassers £4, seniors (males) £4, females £2 10/-. The proposed rates for assistants of 10 years of age or under entering the trade are (the old rates in brackets):—First year of service, males, 15/- (10/-), females 15/(7/6); second vear: males, 22/6 (15/-), females 20/- (10/-); third year: males, 32/6 (20/-), females 25/- (12/6); fourth year: males, £2 (27/6), females, £1 10/- (17/6); fifth vear: males, £2 10/- (£1 12/6), females, £1 15/- (£1 2/6); sixth year: males, £3 5/- (£2), females, £2 2/(£1 5/-); thereafter: males, £4 (£3), females, £2 10/- (£1 10/-). A new clause provides that any person employed as a shop assistant without previous experience shall, if 21 years of age or over, he treated as having entered upon his or her fifth year of service.

An important new clause provides that any female employed in selling or handling men's and juveniles' clothing, mercery, hats, hosiery, silks, velveteens, dresses, manchester, furnishing, carpets, linoleums, bedding, cotton dress goods, prints, etc., shall be paid the wages prescribed for males. The new claims also provide for bringing the head or only storeman under the provisions of the award, the wages asked being £3 10/- per week. £3 per week is being asked for storemen or packers over 20 years of age, instead of £2 10/- nowpaid, and a corresponding increase for youths ranging from 10 to 20 years.

For casual male hands 2/0 per hour is asked instead of \/A\ now paid, and for females 1/0 instead of lOd. A minimum payment of 16/per day for males, and 12/- for females is stipulated. The hours of employment suggested are from 0 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., with an hour off for lunch, on five days of the week, and from 9 a.m. till 12 noon on the day of the weekly half holiday. It is also asked that no assistant shall be employed after 12 noon on Saturdays. Another important new clause provides that each employee on leaving or being discharged from his employment shall within 24 hours be given a reference in writing, stating the position held and length of service. It is also asked that employees engaged in performing higher duties shall be paid accordingly, and that employees required to work after 0 p.m. shall be paid 1/- tea money, in addition to overtime.

II was agreed that the Wellington Union should file the first claim. It was resolved that the next conference he held at Wellington in 1917, when Parliament was sitting, the object being to deal with lcgislalion affecting the trade, including Ihe Shops and Offices Act. A resolution was passed expressing the opinion of the conference that the present constitution of the Arbitration Court was not the best means of securing satisfactory awards and industrial peace, and that a better way would be for Ihe representatives who sit with the judge to be persons who were or had been engaged in the industry upon which the court was called to adjudicate.