RESTAURANT WORKERS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 662, 16 January 1933, Page 8

RESTAURANT WORKERS.

Conciliation Council Hears Dispute. HOURS AND WAGES. Representatives of the employers and workers concerned with the restaurant and tearooms award met in the Conciliation Council this morning; to discuss new conditions, Mr S. Ritchie, Conciliation Commissioner, presided. The assessors for the Union were Messrs F. G. Young (Auckland), R. A. Brooks, E. G. East and C. J. Athfield, and for the employers Miss Trent, Colonel F. Cresswell, and Messrs E. Johnson and D. I. Macdonald. Mr Macdonald said that the dispute was created by the employers, who had no Dominion organisation, but on the union’s cross-petition a Dominion council was held, at which no agreement was reached. The dispute now became a local one again. The employers thought that it would be little use going on unless the employees were prepared to reduce the claims made in the Dominion dispute. Mr Young said it was an extraordinary attitude for the employers to take up that unless the proposals put forward in the Dominion dispute were modified it was no use going on. It appeared that the employers were taking advantage of the recent legislation which provided for the cancellation of the award where there was no agreement between the parties. The union took the stand that there should be no alteration unless drastic reasons could be given. An agreement had been reached in Auckland. Mr Macdonald explained that the Auckland agreement contained several features which employers here could not agree to. The Commissioner said that the present council was not concerned with .what had gone before. It would be necessary to take the proposals clause by clause. Hours of work and wages were the chief matters in dispute, and no agreement had been reached at 12.15, when the Council adjourned for lunch.