ARBITRATION AND CONCILIATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9192, 23 March 1908, Page 3

ARBITRATION AND CONCILIATION.

♦ ■ : TANNERS' AWARD. The award of the Arbitration Court in the Canterbury Tanners', Fellmongors' and Skinners' dispute has been received by the Clerk of Awards at Christchurch. The chief points of the award are an eight-hours' day from December to May inclusive, with liberty to work, when necessary, an extra hour per day, or equal to nine hours per day for each day in thp v-cck,, without payment of an additional rate; the hours of work to be between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. From June to November,, inclusive, the week shall consist of forty-eight hours, ending at noon on Saturday, the hours of work being from 7.30 a.m. till 6 p.m. for five days, and from 7.30 a.m. till noon on Saturday. This clause also shall apply throughout the year to the particular departments in tanneries connected with .the working and tanning of hides. Night shifts may be worked, if necessary between 4 p.m. x and 8 a.m., provided they do. not exceed eight hours each on six consecutive nights of alternate weeks, at the same rate of wages as is paid between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. ; thirty minutes to be allowed from each eight-hours night shift without deduction of wages. The overtime clause provides for time and a quarter for the first two hours' work ou any day or night after the recognised hour for ceasing work, and time and a half thereafter. The same rate will apply for all work done on the holidays, which are New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour pay, Show Day, Anniversary Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.' Wort, done on Sundays shall be at double rates, except that necessary work not exceeding an hour may be paid for at time and a quarter. Anniversary, Day will not be a holiday with freezing companies. The rates of wages, which shall be paid at intervals of not less than a fortnight, are as follow : — Woolsorters, ls an hour casual, and ls 3d continuous; pieceworkers, 8d per cwt cross-bred and lOd merino; painters and trimmers, ls an hour; pieceworkers, 2s 6d per hundred (to cover stacking, trimming and taking away, but not stacking of chemical and lime) ; puDers Is o_d per hour, pieceworkers 5d per dozen from November to March, and 6d from April to October, during which shorn lambs, potters, and preservers will be sd; woolpackers Is per hour, pieceworkers 10_d per bale (no employer now paying more to reduce his. payment) ; pelt fleshers ls per hour pieceworkers cross-bred pelts clean fleshed for pitting 7£d per dorien (seventeen dozen per day limit), crossbred pelts medium 5d (24 dozen limit) ; lambs and merihoes, mfedium fleshed and nobbling, 3d (40 doz limit) ; parchment linings, clean fleshed, sd; linings, 4d ; cobbing, ls per 10 dozen. Machine fleshers and scudders, ll_d per hour ; pelt classers ls 3d per hour for'continuous work; improvers, ls per hour for not more than two years; pelt classers (casual), Is per hour; chrome finishers and grainers, ls l.d per hour. Unhairers, hand scudders and limepit hands, Hid per hour. Barnsmen, Is o_d per hour. AU adult workers, not otherwise specified, who have worked less than tAvo years, and all general labourers, 10_d an hour ; over two years-, lld per hour. Unskilled labourers over fiftyfive years of age, 7_d per hour at light Avork. Wages to youths are fixed as follow : — Fifteen to sixteen years, 12e 6d a week ; sixteen to seventeen, 15s ; seventeen to eighteen, 17s 6d ; eighteen to nineteen, 6d an hour ; nineteen to twenty, 6Jd; twenty to twenty-one, 7sd. ' Sub-contracting is not allowed. There is the usual preference clause, and provision for uhder-rate workers'. The award Arill remain in force from March 30, 1908, until February 28, 1911. A footnote to the award states that, in 1901 an award was made, and another in. 1904, the term fixed by the last aAA'-ard expiring on October 1, 1906. In 1907 the Union presented fresh demands to the employers, and conferences had resulted in an agreement on all poiirte except two. This agreement wae approved by the Union, and the secretary was authorised to make the best arrangements he could on the nnsetled points. This he did, but the Union afterwards refused to ratify of recognise the agreement. A set of further demands had been declined by the employers, AA*ho claimed that an agreement had been arrived at with the Union's representative. The Court had made that agreement the basis of its award. . The modifications were as follow : — Provision for pelt classers and chrome finishers and grainers; and the I provision of 10_d per hour for general abour, instead of three classes at 9d, 10_d and lld. - TIMARU TIMBER YARDS EMPLOYEES. A recommendation of the Conciliation Boiird has been filed in the case of the Timaru timber yards employees' dispute. The recommendation, if not objected to by April 21, will come into operation for three years from that date. It is mainly on the lines of th© recommendation in the Canterbury timber yards employees' dispute.