New Zealand Workers' Union.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4939, 1 May 1894, Page 1

New Zealand Workers' Union.

, Following is the shed agreement which j was drafted at the recent conference of general workers, held in Christchurch, and; which is to be submitted to a conference of pastoralists and shearers with a view of its adoption. To represent the latter the following have been appointed : —Messrs W. H. Gibbs (Christchurch), W. H. Lundon (Waimate), B. Hammond (Gereldine), J. K. Franks (Temuka), J. J. Seymour (Oamaru). " BH-ABING vA<fm__M_N_v J •'•That employers shall be free to employ, and, shearers shall be free to accept, employment, whether belonging to Bhearers' or, other TJfliops, ( prnop^. without favour, molestation or mtimidatipn on, either side,. "Agreement made this — day of — — , between — , hereinafter called the employer, of the one part, and—, hereinafter called the shearer, of the other part. " Thereby the employer and the shearer agree theonewiththeotherfas follows, viz :. — (l)Theshearershallshearwithallreaßonable despatch all the sheep the employer or his agent shall require him to shear during the present season in a good and workmanlike manner, it being hereby provided that the total number of Bheep required to be shorn by the, whole; of jthe shearers employed during the shearing by • the employer, unless the employer be prevented by any unforeseen cause or causes from supplying the cheep or continuing the shearing, shall not be less than ——•. nor. n> ore than •— •?-. (2). The price of shearing shall be "not less than the rate ruling at per hundred in eaoh district during the previous season. (3) The shearer shall be at the station : or run ready to commence shearing on the I ■ — - day of — , 189 , and the employer agrees to be ready to commence Bhearifag on that date,' and to keep the shearers fully; supplied with sheep, unless prevented : by i weather or by some unforeseen cause orcaußes. (4> The employer shall, during the whole of the time the shearer is engaged shearing, provide him with hut accommodation and board free of charge. (5) The shearer shall not absent himself from work, bnt in case he leave before the completion of shearing, owing to sickness, accident or other such unavoidable cause, or by the permission of the employer or his agent, he shall be paid in full for all cheep shorn by him. (6) If tbe shearer be discharged, as he may be, for breach of this agreement, or of any of .the rules endorsed hereon, he shall be paid in full for all Bheep shorn by him, up to time of such discharge. (7) Once. a week, on a day to be named by the employer dr hiß agent at commencement of shearing, on demand, the employer shall pay to the shearer any sum not exceeding 75 , per centum of the amount due at the time of such demand, ! except in casea provided for by Clauses' s and 6 of this agreement, all payment to be made by cheque on a local bank, or | exchange to be added. (8) That in the event of a dispute arising aa.to wet sheep, and failing a settlement, shearers shall be at liberty to leave and the employer to | dißoharge suoh shearers upon payment of j all wages due up to the time of dispute. (9) That all sheep requiring to be dagged before shearing, the same to be done at the owner's expense, or the shearer to be paid at the rate of 2s 6d per hundred in addition for such. (10) The employer and the shearer shall, conform to the rules endorsed hereon, whioh rules it is hereby, agreed shall be taken and deemed to be. and form part of this agreement. As witness the hands of the parties the day and year first before, written." (Signatures of the employer and shearer.) The following rules are embodied as part of the agreement : — (1) The shearing shall* be carried on under the direction and supervision of the employer, or the person placed by him in charge of the shed. (2) Before commencing work the shearer shall draw lots for his pen, and shall abide by the result of such drawing, the person in charge of the shed having the right to make any alteration deemed advisable. (8) All sheep must betaken carefully from the pen to the,: shearing board, and be _horn closely, and in a fair and workmanlike manner, and >to the satisfaction of .the person in charge of the shed, the belly wool to be takeh off firßt and laid aside. (4) In case the shearer turns out a sheep badly cut or .insufficiently tarred, he shall at once sew and tar such cuts or wounds in his pen, or otherwise dreßs or treat such sheep as directed by the person in charge of the shed, but no shearer Bhall be re?uired to tar his sheep in other caseß. 6) Tho shearer shall not be allowed to kick, or otherwise injure or ill-üße any sheep, and in case he seriously injure or ill-use any sheep, he shall immediately report same to the person in charge of the shed. (6) The shearer shall not be allowed to catch any sheep from his pen while it ia being filled, but shall during such filling shear from any pen or pens that may be allotted to him by the person in charge of the shed. No sheep to be caught after the signal hps been given to cease work by the person in charge of the shed. (7) Eaoh shearer shall have free run for one horse. (8) The employer shall provide at least one grindstone for every ten men or less. (9) No shearer or station employe shall bring, or cause to be brought, any intoxicating liquor on to the station. No profane, abusive, or obscene language shall be allowed in the shed. (10) In all sheds where shearing machines are used the shearer shall be provided with one comb and four cutters.free of cost, to every 1500 sheep shorn by him, all combs and cutters used by the shearer above that number to be paid for by him at cost price. In case of stoppages through breakage or otherwise, shearers shall go on shearing with the hand shears. (11) No shearer shall be compelled to shear cancered sheep. (12) That all shearing shall cease not later than four o'clock on Saturday afternoon. (13) Should any sheep be shorn by borrowing, the money so earned ; .to be handed over to the nearest charitable institution.