ARBITRATION COURT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 65, 10 December 1907, Page 7

ARBITRATION COURT.

NEW AWARDS. The following awards were received from tho President, of tho Arbitration Court by Mr. W. A. Hawkins (Clerk of Awards) yestorday morning :— TYPOGRAPHICAL AWARD. The provisions of this award do not apply to employers in the city and suburbs. The award will take elfect from December 23, 1907, and continue in force until August 31, 1910. Inter alia, it is provided that payment by time or piece-work shall be recognised in tho work of type-setting machines, operator or apprentice required to work on Christmas Day or Good Friday shall bo paid at doublo rates, and if required to work on New Year's Day or Labour Day shall bo paid at the rate of time and a half, or at a corresponding rato for pigce-work. If these holidays aro given, all operators shall bo paid for them at timo rates. In tho case of morning papers the evening preceding each of the above holidays' shall bo reckoned a holiday. , Linotypo Work.—A day's w v ork for an efficiont operator shall consist of not moro than seven hours at not less than,£3 10s. per week for day work, and £3 16s. for night work. Overtime, except as previously mentioned, shall be one-third extra. ' For day operators piece-work shall be paid at the rate or three-pence per 1000 ens, with all fat (double column and large advertisements or tables to bo set by the houso, and not to bo charged by operator) and at the rate of threepence half-penny per 1000 ens without fat. Piece-work shall not bo put into operation until the operator can earn the minimum wago. In piece-work ono farthing per 1000 ens extra shall be charged on nlf typo larger than brevier. Saturday-night editions shall bo paid for at the rate of 2s. Cd. per hour on time. Probationers shall be paid as follows : t —Day work, £2 10s. for a week of forty-two hours; night work, £2 10s. On a probationer attaining a speed of 4000 ens per hour before the expiry of'three months, ho shall bo paid at the rate of £3 for day work, and £3 6s. for night work. . Overtime shall be paid to probationers at tho rate of aixpenco per hour extra. Probationers, when omployed on tho machines by tho hour, shall be paid not less than Is. 6d. per hour for day work, and not loss than Is. 9d. per hour for night work. No operator shall be deemed efficient unless ho shall have attained a speed of '1000- ens an hour in three months, 5000 ens in six months, 6500 ens in eight months, and 7500 ens in fifteen months. If he shall havo attained a speed of 7500 oils fifteen months ho shall be deemed an efficient operator. Speed shall not bo hold to constitute the solo basis of efficiency. Efficient operators must bo guaranteed four hours' work daily'. No apprentice shall be employed on machines only, until he has had oighteen months' instruction • in the work of a compositor. • Thereafter his apprenticeship shall continue liiiti! he has served four years on tho waohiri". One apprentice; l shall bo allowed to 'flvery' four -operators. . Apprentices' wages nhall bi-i ;is follows;— First year, 5a.; second, V.U. ; third, lus.; fourth, 205.; fifth, 255.; for the last, six months, 30s. When working on machines apprentices shall be paid 2s. od. per week in addition to abovo rates. All advertisements shall be set by picco hands, time hands, or apprentices, the latter riot to bo employed at night. Women may be employed during tho day time within tho hours allowed by law at the same rates- of pay as are fixed for men. Moholine, Monotype, and Simplex Work: —An efficient monotype keyboard operator shall be paid £3 10s. per week for day work, and , - £3 16s'.' for night work. Monotype probationers' wages shall bo tho same as for linotypo probationers. A monotype probationer shall bo deemed an efficient operator on his attaining a speed of 6000 ens per hour*. Efficient mouoline operators shall bo paid £3 per week for day work, and £3 6s. for Iniglit work, and efficient simplex keyboard operators £3 por wook for day or lu'ght work. Monolino uv.A simplox probatiqners shall bo paid not less than £2 10s. per week foi cay work, and £2 16s. for night work! Monoline or,siniplcx probationers shall be deemed efficient operators on attaining a speed of 5000 ens per hour. The Court did not fix a piece -woik rate for monoline or simplex operators, but an employer working any one or more of these machines may arrange with the Union for a piecoivork rate for his employees. The Court reserved the power, upon application of tho Union, to mako a supplementary award (dealing with the rates of pay and conditions of work in connection with any other machine. General:, In the event of typo-setting machines being introduced tho men omployed in that offico shall have first chance of employment. Preference must bo given to Unionists, provided that thero aro members of a union equally qualified to perform tho particular work required to be done, and tho oraployor shall know of such member, and shall bo ablo to obtain his sorvices without undue delay. Nothing shall provont tho continued employment of workers now in the employment of any employer, although such a worker may not bo or become a member of tho Onion.

PLASTERERS' AWARD. This award is limited to employers carrying on businoss in tho city or within a radius of'fiftecn miles' from tho G.P.O. Tho Court has reserved to itself full powor to make a supplementary award, binding employers in othor .parts of tho district. Tho award will como into force- on Decomber 16, 1907,' and will continuo in force until Decembor 31, 1909. Inter alia,'it is provided that a full week's work shall consist of 45 hours. Onfivo days of-tho week the ordinary working day shall bo between tho hours of 7.30 a.m. and 5 p.m., and on ono day of the wools between tho hours of 7.30 a.m. and 12 noon. Tho following shall bo deemed to bo plasteror's work: Wood lathing, fixing fibrous , plaster, and all interior and exterior plastering. Casting fibrous plaster and fixing ox'panding metal lathing may be dono by workors othor than plasterers. Two classes of workors shall bo recognised: Apprentices and journeymen. Compotent journeymen shall he paid not loss than £3 12s. per week. Workers shall be paid only for time actually worked, and any deductions to bo made for timo lost shall he mado at tho rate of Is. 7d. per hour. Wages shall bo paid wockly, on the job or at the omploycrs' place of business, within fifteen minutes after work has ceased. Apprentices shall bo paid as follows: —First year, Bs. per wools; second, 135.; third, 18s.; fourth, 235.; fifth, 335. The proportion of apprentices to journeymen shall not oxceed ono to every three journeymen. No boy shall be allowed to serve a probation to more than two employers, Should the employor wish to dispense with tho services of the approutice he shall give him a certificate for tho timo served, and procure him anothor employer carrying on business within a reasonable distance of the original employer's place of business. An employor shall not bo deemed to discharge his duty towards his apprentice if he fail to keep him at work owing to slackness of work, but such slackness may form a proper ground for transferring him. Overtime shall bo paid for work dono outside tho ordinary working hours at the following rates: Timo

and a quarter'for the first two hours, and time and a, half thereafter. On certain holidays, double time shall bo paid, and on Saturday afternoon time and a quarter. When any holiday shall be generally observed on a flay other than that prescribed, tlii' award shall apply to Hie substituted holiday. Country work shall mean work which necessitates the worker lodging elsewhere than at his usual place of 'residence. Workers engaged on country work shall be paid threepence per hour additional, and employers shalj pay their fares once each way, and for timo occupied in travelling, at not less than tho ordinary rate. Employers may agree with workers employed on country work that such workers shall work at ordinary rates (including the said 3d. per hour) in excess of tho hours prescribed. Suburban work shall mean work performed by a worker at a distance of over 11 miles from his employer's placo of business, but which docs not come within the definition of country work. Any worker employed in suburban work to which a conveyance is required shall be conveyed to and from such work free of charge, and ho shall- also bo paid at the ordinary rate for the timo occupied in going ■to and returning from such work. A clauso relating to under-rate workers is inserted. In the engagement of workers, employers shall give preference to Unionists, provided that thoro are members of the Union equally qualified with ' nonmembers to perform the particular work required to be done, and ready and willing to undertake it. INTERPRETATION OF AWARDS. Tho following 'interpretations have been given by Mr. Justice Sim: — TYPOGRAPHICAL AWARD (TOWN). Clauso 3. "Employers shall not be bound to pay for holidays, but, subject to this, no deduction shall be made from tho weekly wago oxcept for time lost by a worker through his own default." .

Question. —If n compositor or apprentico is willing to work on one or any of the holidays specified in Clause 6, and the establishment is closed against hiin, is such compositor or apprentice entitled to bo paid bis week's wages without a proportionate deduction for sucli lost time? Answer.—An apprentice is entitled to bo paid his weekly wage without any deduction. A compositor is not entitled to be paid for any holiday mentioned in the award unless ho is required by his employer to work and does work on such holiday. The fact that thi) compositor is willing to work on any such holiday does not makn any difference) in the matter. So far as holidays are concerned, the employer is bound to pay compositors only for work done, and not for readiness to work. PLUMBERS' AWARD. Clause 16. " The- provisions of this award shall not apply to work dono in connection with contracts entered into before the nearing of this dispute and 'incomplete, but any employer desiring to tauo advantage.of t' , provision shall, within fourteen days from the timo from which this award shall take effect, give notice in writing to the Inspector of Awards in Wellington of tho contracts in respect of which ho claims exemption, stating the date of each contract, tho names of tne person or body with the saino lias been entered into, the naturo of the work, and when the same is to bo porf armed, and no employer shall be entitled to tho benefit of this provision in respect of any contract of which ho has not given notice." Question 1. —An existing contract is deemed to be one entered into boforo the hearing of this dispute and incomplete. When is the actual date on which an existing contract can be so based within the meaning of this award to ho entitled to exemption!' Answer 1. —The bearing of the dispute in Mio award means tho day on which tho Hearing of tho dispute commenced before the Arbitration Court. Question 2. —The "Union request tho Inspector to furnish names of employers claiming oxomption in respect of existing contracts. Is not tho Inspector debarred by Sub-section i of Section 100 of tho Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1905. from supplying or divulging such iriforma■'tion?-- ■•'''"'.' Answer 2. —The Inspector ought to givo to the Union the information asked for. Sub-section 4 of section 100 does not prohibit him from doing so. ' ; TAiLORESSES' AND CLOTHING TRADES' ■ ■ . ■■ AWARD. Clause 17 (c). "No wages shall bo paid for time lost through the factory being closed for tho annual factory holidays or the public holidays, other than statutory holidays or for stock-taking and cleaning purposes." Question. — Certain Hebrew employers closed their premises in order to observo holiday on a Jewish Festival 6r Fact Day. This being a special holiday observed solely for the employer's purposes, should not ino workers who received such holiday bo paid for same? ... . , Answer.—Yes. Tho workers aro entitled to bo paid for the special holiday.