WATERSIDERS' AWARD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16895, 21 November 1922, Page 4

WATERSIDERS' AWARD.

THE NEW TERMS. I ; COURT’S MEMORANDUM. j f j (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, November 20. The Arbitration Court's note attach !ea to the waterside workers award is j as follows : i 4< Nearly ail the clauses of the award | were in dispute. Tho principal quet*i tiou was that of wages. 1 uder the | old agreement rates of payment for ; different classes of cargo work and ovori time rates varied considerably from port to port, and in many cases without any apparent reason for variations. We have now fixed a uniform scale „f tates for all ports. The basic rate has teen arrived at by adding 25 per cent to the Court’s ordinary rate for un- | skilled labour. This approximates very j closely to the present rate, and is ! justified by the fact that returns of I earnings furnished to us by employers and unions disclose that after making due allowance for men who arc not regular seekers for work at the wharves, and for slackness of shipping business ! during the past few months, the aver- ; ago weekly earnings of waterside workers require to bo supplemented by 26 per cent if the Court’s basic rate for ! un* Filled workers is to be adopted as j e basis. • Wo have slightly increased overtime i arcs but have removed many anomalies and restrictive conditions which appeared in the last agreement. These j have, in past, proved exceedingly opj pressivo and have been subject in many cases to interpretations which appear to us to be unreasonable. Instead J u reducing regular rates below a level ! necessary to provide c fair living wage 1 we preferred in increase overtime rates j and cut out all unfair conditions which-' ■ had the effect of increasing earnings in i an indir ct man or his. we believe ! v. ill have the effect of ensuring more j regular work for the genuine waterside f worker and reducing tho number of the j ' fringe’ ’ of very casual workers. “We were desirous'of improving the system of engaging labour at the prini opal 7>orts. where at present men ar& required to wait about the wharves for j Several hours a day in the hope of j obtaining employment. After full dis- | -cussion with representatives of the era- | plovers and the unions we were unable ito arrive at a completely satisfactory method of overcoming the difficulties in- • voiced in a- radical change of system, : lut the parties expressed their willingI ness to endeavour to work out a scheme ! for adoption in experimental form it, ' Wellington. We have provided that in j the event of an agreement being reach* |ed the award may be accordingly ) amended, and that the ’experiment, if [successful in Wellington. may be tried fir other porta. •• We have reinserted tho -preference j clause, but with certain modifications. Wo have now provided that the preference clause shall operate only if and so long ns the unions do not adopt j obstructive tactics. “ The term of the award has been fixed so as to expire on April -30- 1924.”

DISTRIBUTION OF WORK. AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT. The genesis of the experiment mentioned in the above ncjte is thus described : -During the lengthy sittings of the Arbitration Court on the watersi dors’ dispute favourable mention was made of the scheme in use by tlie "Wellington Harbour Board to make work as nearly as possible permanent for the two hundred men employed. Mr -L Roberts, advocate for tlie woi-kers, claimed that a scheme could be drafted which would do away with the fringe ’ or very casual .watersider, and ensure better service for the employer. At Mr Justice Frazer’s suggestion a conference was held on the matter between representatives of the shipowners and the watersiders. and a draft scheme was prepared for consideration of members o' the Wellington Watersider®’ Union. This scheme divided tlie men into gangs. .. designated by numbers, with a leader. ! When work was available these gangs i were to he taken in order. The leader j got his men together. Any missing I numbers were filled up by the selection ! of men available. A meeting of the Water aiders’ Union v as held a little over a week ago. and it was decided to take a secret ballot on the matter. Tho result was that out of a total vote of 1143 men a majority of 195 effective votes was obtained in favour of the scheme, as weil a* the main proposals. It is anticipated that tho new scheme will reduce the amount of idle time spent by men on the waterfront, reduce i r not abolish the “ fringe,” distribute Vvork more equitably and reduce tho r. uni her of calls for labour. The Mayfield Agricultural Show will bo hold on Saturday, March 21. 1923. A grand lodge communication is to be held at the tea kiosk. Metropolitan Trotting Ground, on Thursday evening, November 30. Tickets vyili be sold only to members attached to lodges.