THE DAW WORKERS' UNION

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 7, 3 October 1907, Page 2

THE DAW WORKERS' UNION

MEN'S DEMANDS PRESENTED,

The organisation of dairy factory employees for industrial betterment has been proceeding (wider city tutorage) with much fervour in Wairarapa during the Inst few days, and factory shareholders, who have hitherto kept outside tho arm of tho labour law, are no longer to be permitted to rest m peacc. In a leading article on the subject, tho " Daily News" (Carterton) says tlw Union of Butter, Creamery, and Cheese Factory Employees, lately formed, with "Wellington as its centre, has just served its demands upon the factory directors, and adds:—"Tho claims aro evidently based upon tho principle that when askrng for anything it is always aswell to domand something more than is likely to bo given." Our contemporary states, however, that it understands "most principal hands in dairy factories already receive more t-nau tho minimum now claimed, but assistants somewhat less." j domand detailed by the iiews '. fixes hours , and 'wages, and provides for lre'o milk anjl free butter or cheese. For butter factories tho Union as>ks that shall range from £3 10s. to £2 15s; :pcr week, and all oniploj'ees to recoive two quarts of milk per day aiid two pounds of butter per week. In cheese factories the wages asked' are from £3 10s. to £2 155., with two quarts of milk per day and plwcse. Tile amount of cheeso to be given is not stated. It is claimed that all hands except casuals shall be employed by tho j;oar, notwithstanding that many factories close down for about three months in each year, but a fortnight's notico on either sido may torminato tho employment. Fortyeight hours aro to constitute a week's work. Ono clear day off is asked for per week for all workers, including .'Casuals, and a fortnight's holiday and full pay to all oxcept casuals. All factories employing one or moro workers' other than tho manager must provide a bathroom and dressing-room for its workers. Apparently factories are to have managers apart from tho cheosemaker and his assistants. Tho employers ■ aro to make a fair distribution of tho work of the factories, and where a worker falls ill, or is otherwise absent from employment, such worker's labour, or any portion of it, is not to be transferred to any of tho other workers without their consent, and is to bo paid for at time and a half. All timo worked boyond forty-eight hours per week is to bo paid for—the first four hours at time and a half, and all the rest at double time. 4 ' On Sunday, Labour Day, King's Birthday, Good I'riday, Eastor Monday, Christmas Day, and Now Year's Day timo and a half is to bo- paid for the first eight hours, and double timo for all time thereafter. Members of unions are to have preference of employment, but where non-unionists aro working with unionists they are "to work together in.harmony." Tho Union intends to keep an office at Palmerston North, in which the names of all unionists out of employment are to be kept, and factory managers requiring hands aro to examine such book or communicate with the secretary of the Union. If .no Union men aro available, then the factories aro at liberty to employ any worker whether in tho union or,not. It is also required that no employer shall do anything for tho purpose of injuring tho union, dircctly or indirectly.

A reply is to be sent to tho secretary in fourteen days, otherwise the matter will become a "dispute," and will bo referred to tho ConciliationBoard for settlement.