THEATRE WORKERS SEEK NEW AWARD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18453, 2 May 1928, Page 3

THEATRE WORKERS SEEK NEW AWARD.

PROVINCIAL DIFFERENCES PROVE BIG DIFFICULTY. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, May I. Conciliation proceedings were commenced to-day before the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr Hally), the dispute being between the New Zealand Theatrical Proprietors and Managers’ Industrial Association of Employers and the New Zealand Federated Association of Stage Employees’ Industrial Associations of Workers. There are, at present, four district awards in the main centres, and the aim of the proceedings was to amalgamate the whole into a Dominion award. In the negotiations, so far as they have proceeded, the employees desire to frame the Dominion award on the basis of the best conditions in the existing awards. The employers declined to accept this basis, but were willing to concede ten days’ holiday in Otago, where hitherto they had none, while the Auckland employees had enjoyed fourteen days’ holiday under their award. Holidays and conditions were discussed at some length, without any agreement being reached, and it was suggested that perhaps conditions might be agreed upon, if the wages could be settled satisfactorily. Wages and overtime were then discussed and tentative agreements reached on some points, pending an agreement being reached on the holidays and conditions. The greatest difficulty arose over the advantages in Auckland as against the disadvantages in Otago, the latter insisting on certain concessions, while A.uckland were not disposed to forego anything should a Dominion award be agreed upon. When it was suggested that the employers wanted to reduce the Dominion award to the Dunedin level, an offer was made to renew the existing district awards, as a proof that such a surmise was incorrect. The offer was not accepted. The employers declined to make a definite offer on wages, urging that they cotild not do so without knowing the conditions. If the conditions were acceptable to the employers, and were agreed upon, something might be conceded in the direction of wages. The employees used the reverse argument, that they could not concede conditions until they knew what concessions they were likely to get in the matter of awges. No agreement has yet been reached.