BAN ON HOLIDAY RACES?

Chronicle (Levin), 20 December 1948, Page 4

BAN ON HOLIDAY RACES?

Pness Association) '

Serious Situation Over Award

( Per

WELLINGTON, Dec. 18. Complications whieh. liave arisen bver proceediiigs for a. nation&I award for racecoarse employees are eausing trade union.officials to diseuss whether all raee meetixigs throughout New Zealand shoiild be" dfeclared "black,'r and AseribuS threat to tfte Christmas and New Year Turf carnival has developed. The conciliation advoeate for th© New Zealand Labourers'' Fedefatioix (Mr; P. M-. Butler) annOnnced today that extraordinury eircumstanees which were noted yesterday .afternoon had eompelled the . organised trade union moyement to consider drastie action to obtain redress in the raost novel of ihdustrial fields. x Mr. Butler said a serious situatioh had developed over the Race.course Employees' Award. The question at present coneerned workers' employed in ; maintaining the tracks, and the outsi.de staff, excluding gatekeepers, employed on race days. Surprise Over Clause.- . \ The Conciliation Council discussed the issues in dispute on November l| 1, and, he said, there was a settlement, with the exception of the rates for trackmen. The hearing was adjourned sine die to enable'both'sides to examine the possibility of settling the outstancfing issue. When eiforts to resolve this issue failed, said Mr. Butler, he went to the office of the Conciliation Commissioner to inspect the papers for transmission to the Court of Arbitration for adjudication. "I was amazed to find inserted in tlie doeument a clause which had not Reven been mentioned during the proceedings, ' ' stated Mr. Butler. Inquiry indicated, "Mr. Butler continued, that a note submitted by a .representative of the employers had been inadvertently included. Mr. Butler said a Government official, in Mr. Biitler's presence, jtelephoned the representative of the employers, but 'that representative insisted on the retention of the clause. ""In all my experience in industrial advocacy, I had hever heard of an attij tude like that,*' stated Mr. Butler. '"Mistakes often occur in dbciimehts, but I had. never h6arf of insistence : on keeping to an errdr. The elause in .question. ser.iojj.sly afi'ects the workers. . Meeting Cancelled. ;BeCause of the situation,- the Con-1 ciliation Cbuneil was again • eonvendd, Mr.-- Butler stateS, ahd the workers ' assessors were notified to ' attend on December 22. Mr. Butler said the union .'Vfas surprised to receive, latef, a I'etlbr from the Conqiliatioh Coinmigsibner,. stating that the meeting would be eancelled, as a representative of the employers had objeetjed to the date. "" fIf assessors ref'use to attend on the date deqided by the ; Cexmmissioner-,. -th© legal .position, as -I understand 'it, is that -fhg council- procebds in their ab■sence,." stated Mr. Butler. . -i He added that the union approaehed officials of the '' Department • of Labour, in. the absence from Wellington of tfte Minister of Labour (Mr. McLagan) and the union impressed the urgency of the situation upon the Department. At 4.15 p.m. yesterday, said Mr: Butler, the union tetephoned an official of the Department and' was advised that theUonciliation Council meeting was cancelled. Federation Cousulted. As secretary of the Labourers ' Federation, he now had to announee that the national council of the organisation would consult for the purpose of deciding whether all raees shouid be declared "black, " Mr. Butler coutinued. The question was also being ref erred to the New Zealand Federation of Labour, on tlre. ground that there had been a disregard of legal provisions, wMch the workers desired to observe. He said the union desired the public to understand that a situation which was likely, failing a prompt settlement, to jeopardise raee meetings throughout New Zealand had not been brought about by the union. Comment by Commissioner. The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. ; S. Ritchie) commented today that the point at issue in the dispute was a misunderstanding bver what had been settled at the conciliation hearing. Consequently, he thought it advisable to bring the council together again, and he gave the union a tentative date, December 22, for the discussions. JEle had Nbeen obliged to eall off this meeting becanse the employers said they could not meet on that date. It ^as close to Christmas, and there was uneertainty about accommodatio-n and transport. Telegraphic iBallot of Labourers' Executive. Tlie ' question. whether race meetings shouid be declared black because of the dispute that has arisen over the national award for raceeourse employees, and whether the cooperation of the Federation of Labour shouid be sought is to be the subject of a telegraph baliot of the natioiial eouncillora of the Ne'w Zealand Labourers:' Federation, Mr. P. M. Butler, eoneiHation advoeate for the Federation, said ' tonight. Mr. Butler said the Federation was also getting in toueh with all unions which have workers employed on racecourses on race 'days. Mr. Butler added that the Federation was prepared a't any time to meet the other pdriy to the dispute.