GOING TO ARBITRATION.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVIII, Issue 1046, 24 March 1910, Page 21

GOING TO ARBITRATION.

HOTEL AND RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES’ CLAIMS. AN IMPASSE AT THE CONCILIATION COUNCIL. As stated in these columns last we.ek, the claims advanced by. the Hotel workers in respect of a new award, are to go before the Arbitration . Court. The adjourned meeting of the Conciliation Council was held on Wednesday (yesterday week). Mr. ( P. Hally, (Conciliation Commissioner), presiding,'the assessors being, Messrs. McParland, Dwyer, and Beveridge, for the employers, and Messrs. E. J. Carey, E. Marks, and T. Helyer, for the. employees. Mr. T. Long, of Auckland, was also present on behalf of the workers. The commissioner, referred to the fact that at the last meeting a number of points were agreed upon, though the main questions of hours, wages, and preference were still unsettled. The employers’ representatives had asked for an opportunity of conferring with rne “trade” on these points. He, therefore, asked Mr. Beveridge to stare the result of the conference. THE “ TRADE ” GIVES REASONS. Mr. Beveridge, said. that when the, issues were placed before the executive of the Licensed Victuallers* Association and. other members of the “trade,’.’ it was at once apparent that not one-third of them would agree to the union’s demands as to wages, hours, and preference to unionists. The whole matter was discussed at considerable length, and very thoroughly gone into, and he had to state that the “trade” could not see its way to accept any of the demands set forth. ; Mr. Beveridge then read a printed statement, as iollows:— “ The conditions of the “trade” have not in any. way altered since the 1907 award was made; or, if they have altered, it has been to the detriment of the “trade.” The falling-off in returns during the past twelve months has been seriously felt. The outlook for the future presents no better prospects.

“When the 1907 award was made trade was exceedingly prosperous. “ The present condition and future outlook of the trade do not in any way warrant any increase in wages, reduction in hours of work, or further restrictions :in working conditions.

“ The 1907 award conferred material benefits upon the workers, both w.th regard to substantial increases in wages and reductions in working hours. These conditions, coupled with the present state of trade, have placed such heavy burdens upon employers as to warrant them in asking for substantial relief.

“No agreement or award will be satisfactory to the employers unless provision is made for the working of overtime over and above the hours specified in Clause 4 of the present award,. and to . give the court power

to review the award in the event of legislation being passed which affects the conditions of work. “ That as the union is pledged by its objects to strive for a six-day week of 48 hours for all male workers, and a six-day : week of 42 hours for all female in the trade, and as such mean the ruin of every employer engaged in the business, and any agreement arrived-at could only be of a temporary character, the employers cannot see their way to assist in bringing about such an undesirable state of affairs.” AN ULTIMATUM. Proceeding, Mr. Beveridge said that if, as they .had been given to understand, the workers’ demands were the irreducible minimum, it was useless, in the opinion of those he represented, to discuss the issue any further. The “ trade ” as a whole felt that the demands were unwarrantable and unjustifiable. Consequently, the matter . must go before the Arbitration Court. The employees had implicit confidence in that tribunal. TheL Commissioner: That is your ultimatum? Mr, Beveridge: That is our ultimatum. “ SURPRISED.” The Commissioner asked Mr. Lang what he had to say about it. Mr. Lang said he was surprised that the would not grant the workers’, demands. He had expected, when the Council last adjourned, that an honest attempt would be made to settle the dispute. The reference to a “temporary” agreement was mere by-play. It was the duty of the Conciliation Council as such to arrive at a settlement of the dispute, and. the attitude taken up by the representatives of the employers was not in accordance with the clearly-expressed intention of the Conciliation and Industrial Act. They were making no attempt at conciliation; they merely declined to discuss the matter any further, and said:, “We are going to the Court.” The consequence would be, if the matter went to the Court, a repetition of the old-time bitterness. A genuine effort to settle the dispute ought to have been made. It was useless for workers and employers to be always bickering. THE LOCAL OPTION POLLS. Seeing that the “ trade ” relied upon the workers at the local option poll, this was an unjustifiable attitude for the employers to take up. He would draw the attention of the Court to the way in which the employers had set about to defeat the ends of the Conciliation Council. There would be such a howl throughout the length and breadth of the country that the hotelkeepers would be sorry for the way they had acted. Mr. Beveridge: These are threats. You mean that you will remember this at the polls. If that is what you mean, then the sooner we know where we are the better. You are asking the hotel employees to vote against their own living. How can you ask us to be conciliatory? We have given you our reasons why we are asking for the maintenance of the pre-

sent award. 1 Since that award was made we have had a very bad time, and even now, the outlook is not too bright. But on top of that you asked 100 per cent, increase in wages and shorter hours. These demands were certainly modified afterwards, but you are still asking for a very large increase of pay and shorter hours. If the conditions were fair when the award was made and trade was prospering, they should be fair enough to-day while times are bad. STATEMENT BY THE COMMISSIONER. The Commissioner: There were a number of points you did agree upon? Mr. Beveridge: Yes, but a large number of the employers would not sign it. The Commissioner said the employers’ assessors came to the council, giving it to be understood that they represented the “trade,” and they undertook to see whether some agreement could not be come to as to hours, wages, and preference, but now they wanted the old award. He did not believe that was the opinion of the “trade.” Mr. Beveridge: I’m sure it is. The Commissioner, said he did not think so. It had been suggested to him that influence had been brought to bear upon the “trade?’ The Commissioner said he would give them. In regard to the dispute he could only refer it to the Court, and he believed the Court would refer it back to him again. UNIONS WILL “ PUT UP A FIGHT.” Mr. Carey expressed regret that no settlement had been reached. He believed the Commissioner, in reporting the case to the Court, would state that the union, or federations of unions, had done all that was possible to get the matter settled by conciliation. The “ trade ” depended to a great extent upon the workers, and no doubt the workers would give consideration to it. Supposing that the “trade” was in such a languishing condition, were the workers to suffer for that? The “trade” had two alternatives—to raise the tariffs, or to continue to get it out of the women workers and scullerymen at 22s 6d a week. “We are going to put up a fight,” he added, “and if the “trade” beat us, it will be to their credit.” The proceedings then terminated.