MANURE WORKERS' WAGES.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume IV, Issue 944, 19 February 1917, Page 8

MANURE WORKERS' WAGES.

CONCILIATION COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS.

The Conciliation Council met this morning to consider the dispute between the Freezing, Manure, Tallow, and Soap Workers' Union and the employers, including the Canterbury By-products Company and others. Mr .1. B. Triggs (Commissioner) presided, and the assessors were: For the union, Messrs Jas. Milburn, A. Armstrong, and T. Woulds, and for the employers Messrs B. 11. Wilson, Walcot Wood, and E. Gray.

Mr F. Ellis appeared as agent for the union, and Mr F. Cooper for the employers.

The union asked that the hours he reduced to 44 from 48 per week, and that Wages be increased from 1/3 per hour to 1/0 for manure and tallow workers, and from 1/2 to I/O for soap workers. The union also asked that employees required to kill and skin should be paid the following rates: Cattle 1/- per head, sheep (id Skinning only: Cattle 3/- per head, sheep 1/0.

The New Zealand Farmers' Association applied for exemption, hut on the objection of the union the Commissioner refused.

The employers submitted the old award as counter-proposals. Mr Ellis said he wanted lo make it plain that the principal reason why they were there that day was because they wanted an increase in wages, and while they desired alterations in other conditions the question that concerned them was wages, and if the award had expired six months previously conditions were such that they would have been before that council as quickly as they could have got there. Mr Cooper said that at the commencement of the war the cost of living had increased, and the Arbitration Court, in May. 1015, bad increased wages, based upon the union's assessment of the increased cost of living, and there was nothing to show that the increased wage had been eaten up by increased costs of living since then. In Auckland a Conciliation Council agreement had been entered into after the Christchurch agreement and the Auckland men accepted a less wage. In the face of that the employers could not again increase wages, and he did not see how the union could ask for them.

Mr Ellis explained the circumstances under which the Auckland agreement was entered into. It was a case in which one union, having one solitary manure worker in its membership, had sold another union having the bulk of the men. Mr Cooper said thai he knew nothing about that. He was not acquainted with the internal affairs of the union. The facts, however, were as he had stated them. The Commissioner asked the union representatives to retire while he discussed the matter with the employers. Later on, Mr Cooper said that the employers were not prepared to give an advance in Christchurch, unless at the sitting in Dunedin next week an agreement was arrived at increasing wages there. If such an agreement was arrived at, the council could reassemble in Christchurch. They would give no increase in Christchurch while Dunedin wages remained as at present. It was decided to adjourn the sitting until after the Dunedin dispute had been heard.