A TANGLED SKEIN.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1448, 24 May 1912, Page 8

A TANGLED SKEIN.

MERCHANTS' ASSISTANTS,

CASE BEFORE THE CONCILIATION COMMISSIONER. "WK WM.L Ciirr rnr the other WAY." A section in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitiation Act provides tlmt any fifteen men engaged in "an industry or industries" may form a union under the Act. That this provision is capable of giving rise to some peculiar complications is exemplified in the case of tho Local Merchants' Assistants' Union, which was formed some months «go and immediately set about obtaining ail award. According to a ruling of tho Arbitration Court tho union includes in its membership workers in sixteen distinct trades and the business of frnminj; an award is thus rendered extremely difficult. Representatives of tho union, and of the emplovers concerned met yesterday before tho 'Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. I\ Hally) but a deadlock arose at the outset ami no progress was made towards framing an agreement. Tils union assessors were: Messrs. P. Stapleton, K. Hamilton, and W. li. Douglas. Mr. A. H. Cooper acted _ ss union agent and had associated with huu Mr. G. G. Farland. The agent for tiio employers was Mr. W. A. W. Grenfell and the employers' assessors were: Messrs. W. Ferguson W. J. Thompson, and f. Ballinger. / Court's Ruling. The Commissioner reminded assessors that when the council last met it was decided to approach the Court with a view to ■ getting • an opinion as to tho method of procedure. The question submitted to the Court was as fo whether tho case should bo heard as ono dispute or in sections. The Court had ruled that the dispute should he ■ taken in sections and a schedule of sixteen divisions had been drawn up. Mr.' Ferguson mentioned a rumour that tho union had decided_ to strike out ail claims relating to clerical workers. . Tho Commissioner said that he had heard of this. The Storemen's Sections. Mr. Cooper stated that tho union, had considered the whole matter of this dispute very carefully and lie had been instructed to state that if the employers were .prepared to go thoroughly into tlio storemen's sections of the dispute, the union would withdraw, for the present all the other sections of the dispute. Mr. Grenfell said that as a matter of fact the union Was not now entitled to ask for any other conditions than those relating to manual workers. Mr. Cooper: Assistants ;:ro manual workers. Anyliow, wo are prepared to deal with storemen only as one dispute. • Mr. Grenfell: Dealing with storemen/ and with others as well, the Court has ruled that tho dispute shall be taken in sections. Mr. Ferguson: We should bo in a better position to consider this matter if we knew exactly what the demands of tiio union were. The demands of tho union • have been once amended already, and now it is proposed to amend them again. An opportunity should now bo given to employers to enable them to decide whether they are prepared tb deal with the matter 'as a whole or must insist upon having tho dispute divided into sections. It seems to me that we have got into a. regular tangle, and the only waj to get out of it is to have an adjournment. ' The Commissioner indicated that ha approved this suggestion. Mr. Cooper: Tho difficulty is that there havo been months and months of-delay already. The Commissioner: The employers do not appear to have been, supplied with the amended demands of tho union, and seem to have only learned of ,the intentions of the union through tho agency of rumour. Rate of Wages. Mr. Douglas said that the union did not want to cut up storemen into dili'orent classes. They were all storemen, and what the union wanted was aa understanding as to the rate of wagc-s to be paid to storemen. Mr. Grenfell: If this gentleman is voicing the opinions of the union in saying that they only want, wages settled, that alters the aspect of the case very materially. Mr. Douglas said that he had omitted to mention conditions of employment. Mr. Grenfell: You "have to admit that conditions vary. Mr. Grenfell contended that tho council was bound by tho decision given by the Court that the dispute must be divided into sections. It would be flouting tho Court to ignore this decisi°n. , . , At this stage there was a brief discussion as to tho meaning of tho term "manual labourer." \ Mr. Ferguson said that it would bo only fair that the employers as a body should have an opportunity of reconsidering the whole matter. Sir. Grenfell remarked that it was definitely stated, at the outset of the dispute, that the employers' assessors were only temporarily appointed to enable tho business of the council to proceed. Numbers of employers, as matters stood, were not represented. _ , Mr. Hally said that tflere seemed to be a disposition on the part' of employers to permit the withdrawal of all claims other than those relating to storemen. Mr. Thompson said that as things stood cycle and motor merchants were*not represented. Mr. Cooper stated that storemen were interchangeable in the big businesses. Mr. Ferguson asked whether it would be possible for the Commissioner to appoint more than three assessors, say twelve. The Commissioner said that this course had been followed in ' other . disputes, although the additional representatives had not been termed assessors. Multiplicity 'of Awards. After some further discussion, Mr. Ballinger said that his firm'. was already working under eight or nine different awards. They did,not make a hardship of it. , Mr. Ferguson: I thins_ we do. The Commissioner and Mr. Ferguson agreed that the number of sections; could ,probably bo reduced. Mr. Grenfell suggested that some of the loss important sections should bo struck out altogether. Mr. Cooper: We might get nd of the whole lot in that- way, but wa are not letting anybody go. Mr. Ferguson said that he was still of opinion that there should be as many assessors as there were trades. The sixteen sections could.no doubt be reduced in number. First of all, tho council should adjourn ra order that the amended claims might b&, submitted to employers as a whole. ' Mr. Cooper said that the alteration made in the claims was simply the striking out of all references to assistants. Mr. Ferguson rejoined that it was still necessary to submit tlio amended claims to employers. . The Commissioner remarked that tliero seemed to be an opinion on the part of the union that if the matter wont to the Court it would be done with. He was of opinion that this wa? a mistake, and that the Court would refer the case back on the ground that it had not been carefully gone into. Mr. Ferguson: li you can only arrange, sir to have a number of disputes and hear them all nt cr.fe, you will get over the difficulty. , , ~ Mr. Grenfell said that the union would materially reduce difficulties if it consented to a weekly limit of hours. Mr. Ilally said that tho unfortunate thing appeared to him to bo that tho emplovers were able to say that they did not exactly know where tho union was. Two or three hundred employers were concerned in this dispute, and not one of them had received copies of tho amended claims. Mr. Stapleton asked how long a period of delay tho employers would want if. mi adjournment were agreed til. Messrs. Ferguson and Ballinger agreed that about u fortnight would be required. Mr. Ferguson at tikis stage left to keep an appointment. The"employer*' representative adhered to their determinatum that I lie union luu-t send out copies of its amended claims, and give employers time So consider them. Allegation and Denial. Mr. Cooper protested that this was an utterly unKasoaable attitude to takft ujj l

The employers ho declared, wove racing "Ijo"OV-." Tiny had endeavoured s.vstcmaticnllv •to delay the ca:-o from tao timo when proceedings commenced. Mr. Biillinser: That, is absolutely un"l3U-. Grenfell formally resented Mr. Cooper's statement", and denied lis nrcui'aey. TJip union, lie saiil, hail erred m endeavouring to obtain nu award which covered too much ground. The Commissioner: We should not blame tim union for that, but the Aci, which allows it. _ Mr Siapleton asked t Hat Mi'. Grenioll should undertake the duty of supplying employers with copies of the amended 1 'llrl^Grenfcil: That is tli-a duty, of tlio union. , . . . Mr. Cooper said Usui I'm union wanted tlio number of cbs-cs reduced to five. Tlio employers wanted to retain Hi class** and to hriii? in a corrc«|iondins number of That is absolutely contrary to fact. .Mr. Farland: T can sco there is only one thinjr for it, gentlemen! This isa deliberate attempt on the part of Uio employers to block these jioor unfortunate people. 1 can see that, wc can t gei. you this way. 'Well—wo will get you the other way. Mr. Ballinger: What other way? Mr. l"arlaml: Never you mind. We. will do it anyhow. I can sec that you are determined to do what: you can to block these poor unfortunate peoplo from getting a crust. Finally, it was decided to adjourn on the. understanding that t'ho council should reassemble a fortnight after the amended union claims had ten supplied (o ilio employers.

THE UNION DOOMED.

INDUSTRIAL LAW AT FAULT. ME. HALLY'S OHNION. Interviewed yesterday after the hearing of the Merchants' Assistants' dispute, the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. I'. Hally) frankly confessed that ho considered the position of the union hopeless. "I can hear its death-knell," he said. "So far as I fan sec, no blame is attachable to those who took advantage in joining tlio union, of th« faulty construction, of Section 5 of' the Arbitration Act, which enables 15 persons engaged in different trades, to form a union and seek it common award. A union so formed has a right to state a case for the consideration of a Conciliation Council, but, as it happens in.this case, no actual business has been accomplished." Is anything likely to be accomplished? asked the interviewer. "As far as I am able to see," replied the Conciliation Commissioner, "tlio matter is not likely to again make its anpearance before ft Conciliation Council, particularly so if the remarks made; by Mr. Farland are taken into I think that wo have heard tlis last of t'no Warehousemen's Union dispute. Tvo great interest seems to have been taken in tlio union or in the dispute l>y ths workers whom it immediately concerns. Even those who have attended sittings of tlio council in the capacity of onlookers have for tlio most part been persons who would bo only too glad to scs the end of tho union. "As to Mr. Farland's covert, threat, continued the Conciliation Commissioner, "I attach little importance to that. At conciliation proceedings a good deal of heated talk passes and as a rule it is best to ignore it. I confess that I paid no great attention at the time to what Mr. Farland was saying. If I had done so I should have dealt with his most improper remarks when they were uttered."