CONCILIATION BOARD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5839, 5 April 1897, Page 2

CONCILIATION BOARD.

THE BUILDING TKADE DISPUTE." A meeting of the Conciliation Board was held in the Provincial Chamber at ten " o'clock this morning to go into matters' connected with the dispute in the building trade. There were present — Messrs H. ,T. Beswick (in the cliair), Messrs J. A. Frostick, and T. Gapes for the employers, aud Messrs J. Chalmers and W. Williams for the Workers' Unions. Messrs A. P. Talbot and J. Wass represented the Workers' Unions, and Messrs W. Jacques, K. F. England, and A. Clephane the Builders' Association. The following is the code of working rules, which the employes wish th« employers to adopt :— 1. That the minimum rate of wages be 10s per day. 2. That forty-four hours constitute a week's work, divided as follows :— August to April (inclusive), from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., one hour at dinner ; May to July (inclusive), 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., half-hour at dinner, except on Saturdays, when the time worked shall be from 8 a.m. till 12 noon. 3. That all time beyond eight hours on the first five days of the week and four hours on Saturday, also, all holidays, viz., New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Queen's Birthday, Prince of Wales's Birthday, Anniversary Day, Labour Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, bo paid for at the rate of time and a half. 4. That all men sent to a country job shall have their travelling expenses and their time paid for going and returning, and an additional 10 per cent to their wages where the distance necessitates lodgings. 5. That men be conveyed to and from suburban jobs by employers. 6. That members of Trades Unions shall be employed in preference to' nonUnionists. 7. That on all outside jobs omj)loyers shall provide a suitable 'place, properly secured, for the safety oil men's tools, and also necessary sanitary conveniences. Mr Talbot suggested that there wero a number of claims in the application which had been in force for a long time past, and had once been accepted by the Builders' Association. Ho thought "it would be a saving of time if the other side would point out what they objected to. Mr Jacques said the employers agreed to clauses 2, 4 and 7. The other clauses were in dispute. » Mr Talbot, in introducing the case from the men's point of view, said that the price of work had risen, and that the interests of masters and men were virtually the same. He detailed the steps taken to bring about the meeting now held. He called James Welsh, treasurer of tho Amalgamated Society of Carpenters, which was a benefit as well as a 'trade society, and contained 48,777 members. ' Had worked at carpentering in Christchurch for twenty-one years. The present condition of the building trade was better than it had been tor twelve years. The average rate of pay from IS7G to 1871) had been 11s, 1879 to 1885 10s, 1885 to 1888 9s, 1888 to 1893 Bs. No notice of reduction of wages had been given by the masters to the men within his knowledge. In 1893 or 1894 the men gave the employers a week's notice, demanding that the wage should be 9s per day, and this demand was conceded. The present ordinary rate of pay in New Zealand towns was 10s, and in Wellington 10s Gd. An additional shilling a day to the men would mean from £4 10s to £o on a .£IOO job exclusive of joiners' work. The majority of Christchurch builders worked on the jobs themselves. The present condition of the building trade was good. Considered that the quantity and quality of a man's work failed if he worked fourteen or fifteen hours a day. Had seen men working overtime while others ■were walking about idle. The men themselves did not cave for overtime if they could avoid it. At times men were required to walk unreasonable distances to work. He did not think it right that men should walk to Biccarton or Fendalton. Some employers drove their men out, others did uofc, Con* sidei-ed that to walk a mile beyond the belt by eight o'clock would be a fair thing. A uuvn belonging to Ma Umou eoald not refuse employment at the current rate of wage, but could not accept work under that rate. Could not give the number of carpenters employed about Chrisfcchureh, but thought there were more non-Uniou than Union men among them. Mr England pointed out that when the employers raised the wages to 9s in 1893, the minimum was left at Ss. Notice of this had been given to the Unions. To Mr Jacques: Notwithstanding that the agreement between masters and men •required three months notice, tho men only gave a week's notice when they required the shilling increase. To Mr Chalmers : Wages were reduced by slackness of trade, but masters had been in tho habit of reducing them without notice. To Mr Jacques ; The Employers Associaciation had not reduced wages! Some men had utilised their half-holiday in working for other individuals. To Mr Gapes: Thought the increase in wages asked for would not prejudicially affect the building trade. To Mr Frostick : His Union could not stop a man from woi'king on Saturday afternoon. There was nothing in the rules of the Union to prevent a man taking overtime jobs for others while employed by a contractor. Did not consider this lair to the contractor. There were many inefficient men who were called carpenters, but who had never served an apprenticeship, and were certainly not worth more than 8s a day, and these were in the trade. To be a member of the Amalgamated Society a man must have served his apprenticeship, and must also be vouched for by two efficient members. To the Chairman: Speaking generally all the good men in the city had been in full employment for the last two years Previously to that many men were idle. Charles Taylor, carpenter, and secretary to the same society as last witness, deposed that he had worked in the trade for nineteen years. The following out-of-work benefits had been poid by his society. In 1893 .£72 (is Sd, in 1594 .£B9 17s, in 1895 .£42 10s lid., in 189(3^12 Gs Sd. These figures afforded a fair indication of the state of the cai vpoutering trade. Wellington wages were 10s 9d for day of eight hours and a quarter, aud (is 3d for half-day of four hours and three-quarters, and .£3 for full day of forty- =ix hours. The wages in Dunediu wero 10s per day as a standard, and overtime paid for at time and a half. The wages in Timaru wero ,£2 15a for week of forty-four hours, or 10s per day. Auckland wages were Is 2d per hour, forty - four hours per week. He estimated the actual workman's wages on a .£4OO house at .£OO, and the rise in wages demanded would make this ,£()5. During the last few months timber had gone up Is Gd per 100 ft super. Mr Talbot pointed out that the rise in the price of timber, though double the rise asked foi 1 in wages, had not affected building operations. There was therefoie no reason to suppose that the present demand, if granted, would do bo. Witness knew of no case where men belonging to his Union had supplemented their income by working overtime for other tl ai their employer. Such conduct would be in contravention of their rules. Some men earned more than their 9 s a day and others less, but ho considcTed that these about balanced each other as far as the employer was concerned. To Mr Jacques : Did not think employers, as a rule, made large profits in the building trade. Attributed this to cutting prices, and want of properly concerted action on the employers pai't. To Mr England : Thought that the low prices of tenders were partly attributable to three or four operatives banding together and tendering. Was of opinion that this course of conduct would not be followed if the wages statement was more . satisfactory. To Mr Frostick : Most of these tenders were called for by advertisement. Would bo surprised to hear that workmen had tendered against their employer while working for him. Considered anything

less than ten shillings a day too low pay for a mechanic. The Board adjourned at 1 o'clock. AFTERNOON SITTING. The Board resumed at two o'clock. Mr J. Waßs ddposed that he had been connected with the Amalgamated Society since 1878. He considered the work done here equal to any done elsewhere in the colony, and that being so it was entitled to remuneration equal to that given elsewhere. The cost of bread was higher than it had been, and he took it that was at least one ground for an advance of wages, and the rise in the price of timber was another. In reply to a question from Mr Gapes, the witness said there was no great amount of dissatisfaction with existing wages, but there was a general feeling that an advance of one shilling a day would be an improve,ment. To the Chairman : There were more nonunion than union carpenters in Christchurch. He attribxited this fact to the population being so scattered. Speaking on the apprentice question, ho was of opinion that no such interest was taken in the. work of New Zealand apprentices as was the case at Home, To Mr Frostick: Considered that -all efficient men should belong' to some Union j and that Union men should have preference. Inefficient men must take lower wages, but such men were practically excluded from the. Unions. With regard to clause 6, he held that the Unions were banded together in the common interest of masters and men, and that, therefore, the Union man should have the preference. The fact of a worker tendering for the erection of buildings would not debar him from remaining a member of the Amalgamated Society, though it would prevent his holding office. One chief desire of their union was that all its members might be in constant employment, and with this view t'.ioy discouraged overtime as much as possible. Mr Taylor recalled, thought that overtime was merely a convenience for those who wanted work done, The price for this had beon fixed high, so that there might not be more of it than could be helped Work dono on holidays should be classed' the some as overtime at night. To Mr Frostick : Had known men leave a job rather than work overtime. They were not discharged. According to their rules, forty-four hours constituted a week's work, but they worked longer hours . for private individuals and for the Government. ' (Left sitting.)