DRIVERS' DISPUTE

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1456, 3 June 1912, Page 6

DRIVERS' DISPUTE

c- ~ j THE FEDERATION'S DEMANDS.. POSITION CHITTC-ISED, A somewhat critical posiliffn lias Arisen, in connection with the demand p.'f flip Drivers' Federation for a llo'niiii.ioi.l. uwa'fa. On Saturday Mr. 11. Hunter (secr.eta'-ry of tiio federation) dispatched tho- following telegram to the Clerk of Awards, Aiick-' land, where Mr. Justice Sim, President ■ of tlid Arbitration Court, is at .nreseiit:— "Drivers' Federation ConfoPenp.e, with cm-' ployers re Dominion awanli.prpved .abortive. Position very acute. . Sitting Court to decide drivers' dispute urgently necessary. Can you arrange siihie- within ,aweek from date?" Yesterday morning a meeting of the Wellington Drivers' Fnion was lipid wi'tii a, view to considering the position and <i'opidiiig upon a course of action;.- Over Ho hundred members attended,. :au'd the .meeting was the largest that has' fen held: by the union for many years. M,r, T;. O'lirjeli (president) acted as chairman. T:hj> meeting was addressed by the following fedi-rav tion.delegates: Messrs. H. Ibiii'ter ((Ghii.s.t'church), Ct. Davis (Auckland),, G. In;gl,i.s (Gisborne), J. D. Smitli .(Pijiicdin),' (L M'lvenzie (Napier), and D. Bla.ekie. (Wedlingto'n). Tne following resolution was., carried unanimously :—"That this, meeting approves of tho stand the representatives the federation havo taken' ita .maintain the principle that all tjiniv worked by drivers shall be paid for, and wiU.ipyaliy:! abide by and support any. -.■.sct'.ion decided upon by the federation by i'.allp't' of 'the' members. The union strongly ui-ggs- kinr ■ dred bodies to do likewise:". ' Pepresentatives of the Drivers'' .Federation and of the employers sat in. .confer- ■ ence all day on Thursday;, but ■.came, to np agreement in regard to' a ■Qoniihipii: award. Existing awards provide for a 'i"|' hours' week, apart from ti.Qi'b- worked' iu'i stables. According to tho federation, secretary (Mr. Hunter), time worked 1 .in ..s.fabies: amounts to anything froin JO' libiirs to 20, hours weekly, according. ito- the .tle'mands made by individual cnipioy-. ors. In practice, Mr. il.iin.ter addedj.' drivers earn an average' wage: of Bd. per hour, taking. inixi .amount the hours worked in stables;. Xn'Wel-. lington, however, drivers .'areVnioro favour.T ably situated than in,'pother... centres; Wages are 3s. per, week higher: ieiieV *&?»' in otiier towns, and, the union rc'pr.p'seuia-. tives state, 'Wellington empfbyefs do no:t : exact so much attendance.' upon lories as employers in other towns;'. The federation is demanding a. wage of. £2 Us. a week for a man-in .chargeof one ■horse. Existing rates arc £? Tsv .per week in "Wellington and £2 Is./.'ii'j pthp'r .c.e'iit.fe's.. A case was filed in Auckland' prior to. the assembling of the late ■abprtiye: cjiiference in Wellington, and. Jh'o .federation is now anxious to obtainj. 'the; dO'eisidri n,f' the Court at the eaidicst''.jid^il^'fe , mQiijcliti:l Mr. G. Davis, an Auckland delegate to \ the federation, remarked tliat..t.hei:e. was', an outcry against Labou'r" : a,t the prpsoht time, for going outside; .of .■c.On.s'.titutl'onir!. methods to obtain its ends; Tlis Drivers" Federation, he stated, was.prepared to :ex'- : haust all constitutional ;,:.nietllbcls. ::l>efofe adopting others, becausaifSeeogrifsSd that, the carting industry was;.pa.ft''and paMpl' : of nearly every other 'industry*'., anddrivers did not wish tofipicir'aiiy Tiarjl-■ ship upon people with whom; they' had-, fib dispute. Mr. Davis stated that; : ;riia'n}- carter?, or account of the low wages''.'fjiey jecpi-ve;.-are forced to live in ■flfey' aro married. ■a, ; ru!e, iiio' centrally sihuitcd, and'-.thV rc'sulb;s, ncV' cording to the Aiickland l : -.va-plg{;p ; : men who bto being paia>fqr.,ay week have to get up breakfast, and walk several miles'-'befbre starting : work at G a.m. Mr. .'Payis; sialpii/that'■ lie had known men to'Ab.p;'diseli.a'rgeil Ibr/ not being at tho stables. -ajH! .aim, 'Siiglß,men, he further stated;;na'd;'freq.iipni!y. "to pay 2s. a week extra-iin.'bpar.di.i'ig!i.o';is.cs! on account of the inconvenient:, hfl.ijrs; .ntV taching to their calling..; The Christchurch pi.ty;. (L'biinci!, the federation officials stated, lias; 'Cpn'c.ede'd' tho principle which tho .t>'dc.r.atibh'is ,, en* denvouring to have made 'ijni'vp'i.'sjil- in; application throughout -ihe'-K/pbiitihipn—; that a driver shall bp,. paid,:, fortho time] he works, stable time-included; '■■. According to its officers,, •'■.t'K.p ; Dri'vefs'' Federation is one of ; t|he .strongp'st. .triuio •' federations in the Dominion;;. "It 'ha;i, -a. total inenibersliip of ,6ypr";3poo; 11l Wch, lington there are somp;v'7oi) nien'vbpvs of the federation, in Chri'srcliurjili. about .'t'fic,Same number, and in Auckland'-nearly g.OOf; ■