TRADE UNION DISPUTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17568, 19 June 1925, Page 12

TRADE UNION DISPUTES.

ARBITRATION COURT AWARDS. Several awards of the Arbitration Court, relating to Canterbury disputes were filed with the Clerk of Awards, Christchurch, this morning. QUESTION' OP SHIFTING TIME. Under the North Canterbury Threshing Mills Employees’ Award all men employed on a mill are entitled to .payment. for the time occupied in. shifting from stack to stack, but not while shift.- I ing from farm to farm. At the last ‘ sitting of the Arbitration Court in Christchurch the Inspector of Awards asked the Court for an interpretation of this clause as follows: While shifting from farm to farm should payment cease at the time the mill Uaves the last stack on the farm it is leaving or at the time it leaves the boundary of the farm. The Court has now delivered its judgment as follows: —The ordinary meaning of ih<-> words “ from farm to farm ’’ is ” from the time of leaving the boundary <*.f one farm until the time of reaching the boundary of the next farm, and the definite provision that enters on a farm is a dear indication that it is g* continue during all hours worked (subject to the specified deductions) until the mill leaves the farm the end-of the threshing. There is no justification for the contention that time ceases when the final stack has been, threshed and tho plant coupled up. TTFOGRAPHICAT. AW A RT*. At the. Inst, sifting of the Arbitration Court, in Christchurch the Inspector of Awards asked for an interpretation of the typographical award as follows:--Can the hours spent on Saturday night late editions be counted in the thirty hours guarantee to piecework linotype operators? The Court lias now delivered its judgment to the. effect that there is nothing in the award to justify a conclusion that time spent on Saturdaynight late editions is- not to be included in the guarantee of thirty hours a week in piecework operators, and the custom j of tho trade has been to include. CHIEF COOK Oft NOT. I'ruler the Northern, Taranaki, Wei - > lin.gt.on, Canterbury- and Otago and Southland Industrial Districts Tearooms and Restaurant Employees' Award it is directed, Inter alia, in clause 4 that: Certain wages ore to be paid to kitchen staffs, and that,.for flic purpose of tills clause a. worker shall be deemed to be employed about a. kitchen or scullery if he or she is employed in either assisting in tho cooking of food or preparing ■ •£ food to be cooked or attending to boilers and kitchen fires or in cleaning plates and cooking utensils or carving or serving sweets or jti any other- operation connected with the business of the kitchen. A question arose as to the interpretation of the award as a | worker ■ who in fact does some of the duties described in the. clause quoted, and who Is in addition manageress of tho tea-rooms and also forewoman of n bakehouse be regarded as tho ‘‘chief cook” if sho is not substantially employed in th«- kitchen? Tho application arose out rot tho position held l*y Aliss Trent in connection with tho t* a.- rooms of .Beath and Co. Tt was contended by tlio Labour Department that the employer was entitled to regard which employee lie chose us chief cook. Tho Court has now delivered its judgment as follows: -In the case in question, the worker concerned is a.” working manageress.” The firm carries on a tea-room business, but also sells for consumption off tim premises part of the output of the bakery attached to the. tea-room kitchen. This eii t urnstance brings the firm unocr the operation of the Lakers and Pastrycooks’ Award. Tho manageress is presumably substantially employed in the bakehouse portion of the kitchen, and has been classed as forewoman of the bakehouse. She cannot, therefore, be at the same time substantially employed (that is, employed U*r more than half her time) ns chief cook of the kitchen, though admittedly she is in charge of the kitchen and directs th-s operations of that: department. The Tearooms and Rasta ura nt Employees' Award provides that if the employer works in the kitchen, liis or her rating I shall be according to the work he or j she is substantially engaged upon. This I makes it abundantly clear that in the ! present case tho worker in question i | cannot be rated as chief cook, • ven if j l we regard her as occupying the posi- 1 tion of employer. LON -MAK ER S’ A\VA UD. Clause relating to hours of work, wages and deduction from wages through sickness- or default wore. referred to the Arbitration Court in the Christchurch I’apcr-bag, Carton and Cardboard Box-makers’ dispute. The Court, in its award, lias fixed the five per week. The minimum rates of wages have been fixed sis follows: For the first: six months, 16s 6d per week; for the second - six months, lfs per week; for. the second year. £1 4s: for tip l third year, L 1 .hs; for the fourth male overseers in box-making department. £2 7s Gd. It is provided that a female overseer js one who acts under t ions, supervises the wont of others. ' The clause relating to deduction from ■wages is as follows: “Time h-st by a i ■Worker through sickness or default, or j through her voluntary absence from j work with the consent of the employer, | The award is to rorne into force on j June 22. and continue in force until i March "l. 11'27. The memorandum of the Court >s as follows:—''The members of the Court were divided in opinion on the matter of ■''age.;. The majority of the Court was satisfied that, the work of this section of the trade called for a lower degree of skill and dexterity than the work of the branches of the printing and related trades in which females are employed, and in which higher rates arc paid. It. is true that, in Wellington these ■'corkers are paid the higher rale, but | they have there been classed with other * jorjtv of the C<-njrt has increased the rates of -wages of the senior workers by 2s per week, which it is thought is sufficient to remunerate the. minimum wage-earner for the class of w-»rk performed.” CHRISTCHURCH - JOURNALISTS’ AWARD. tached t - ihe Christchurch Journalisms’ Award states:—•" The technical clauses of this award were agreed on by -th» parties. Wages, with a few minor ;>d|u n 1 • been settled on the lines of the recent Auckland award. This was the only matter of importance ! loft to the derision of ihe Court. The members of the Court were not. in compute agreement on tbo details of the wages clauses, a majority being in one side or the oth.er in regard to individual The wages clauses provide for increases of I.'k weekly for sub-editors, 10s for first assistant sub-editors, £1 5s for second assistant sul>-editorp. las for Grade T. reporters. 10 s for Grade II reporters, 5s for Grade 111. reporters and proportionate increases for cadets. Readers, revisers and copy-holders are granted two weeks’ holiday in each year instead of one week as formerly. The award in most other respects follows the lines of tho old award. The award will come into fore* on T 'i' and continue in force until June 22, 1')27.