LABOURERS' WAGES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1736, 29 April 1913, Page 11

LABOURERS' WAGES.

CONCILIATION PROCEEDINGS. NO AGREEMENT REACHED. CASE OF THE LOCAL BODIES. Investigation of the dispute between the Geneiral Labourers' Union and the employers of general labourers in and around Wellington was yesterday advanced a step further before the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. I'. Hally) and the Council of Assessors appointed to deal with tho dispute. There was considerable discussion on an application made by Mr. W. 11. Morton, City Engineer, to have tho City Corporation exempted from nay award that might be made as the outcome c-f the proceedings. Mr. \Y. J. ltoche, engineer to tho Lower Hntt Borough Council,- and Mr. A. Cowie, engineer to Hhe t'ctoiie Borough Council, wore present to represent their local bodies. Tho meeting of the council was adjourned last Monday to admit of the list of parties cited by the applicant union being made more nearly complete, the assessors for the employers having raised tho objection that tho list did not include uianyemployei's of general labourers. Several new parties had been added. Among them tho Master Plumbers' Association. Mr. W. A. W. Grenfell, appearing for the association, and as agent for the employers, objected to tho plumbers being joined as an association. A number or plumbers who were members of tho association undertook drain-laying, and at such work general labourers were employed, but plumbers ifere no t regular employers of labourers. There might bo some individual plumbers who were occasional employers of labourers, but many were not, and he thought those who were really concerned in tho proceedings should have been cited separately and by name. The Commissioner said he took it that hi any case the award would affect only thoso master plumbers who employed labourers. Mr. W. H. Morton said he wished to ask that tho City Council should be exempted fiom any award which might bo made. Prior to the corporation being cited, a conference was held between Mr. Reardon, with members of tho union, and himself, and certain matters wero agreed upon at the conference in regard to working conditions. The question of wages was left to bo decided by the council. This had sinco been settled by the council and lie had been instructed' to pay the rates fixed. I-Ie understood that Mr. Reardon was agreeable to the City Council beinti exempted on condition that an agreement was entered into embodying the conditions agreed upon at the conference, and tr W3"es fixed by the council. . Mr. Reardon said this was substantially correct. The City Council had made a certain offer to the. union which was not accepted as satisfactory. Later it was discovered by the Pitv-: Engineer that the terms lie had agreed upon with tho Union had not been incorporated in the offer. These terms had since been offered, and the executive of tlio union were prepared to recommend that they be accepted. All that remained was to get. the consent of tho which met on tho first Friday in ever,r month, and Tie thought the union would accept the terms offered. Ho suggested, however, that in the meantime tho safest course to follow would bo to allow the City Council to remain joined as a party to tho dispute. ■ Mr. Roche said ho did not know exact y what agreement the City Council had made, but tho higher wages and tho diminution of hours would make a considerable difference to his borough. It would havo meant un increase o'f ton guineas on their last weekly pay-sheet.

Mr. W. Ferguson urged that the assessors should have before them the terms of the proposed agreement with tho City Council, as it might affect the question of what employers other than local bodies should agrea to give. Tho Commissioner: At any rate there would to 110 harm in adjourning tho matter of tho local bodies in the meantime.

Mr. Ferguson: Provided we have that agreement before us.

. Mr. Reardon said tho union did not agreo to have tho City Council struck off until the agreement was approved by tho union. Ho had no authority to say mpro than _ that ho thought the dispute with the. City Council was "substantially settled."

In the oourse of further discussion Mr. Eeardon stated that tho conditions laid down in the agreement with the corporation were not suitable for private employers. Ho suggested that if local bodies bo dealt with apart from the individual employers all difficulties of this, kind could be got over. Mr. Grenfcll said this might be aquea> tion of policy for tho several local bodies to consider. /They might decide to refer tho matter to the Arbitration Court, as was desired by some of tho city councillors. Ho had reason to believe that the suburban local bodies would prefer to follow that course. M r * Ferguson and Mr. Mace both asked again that tho terms of tho proposed agreemoiit with the City Council should bo put before the council, but Mr. Eeardon objected, and while, tho proceedings of the council were open the agreement was not produced. The council w«»t into committee to consider tho question of whether tho local bodies should remain parties to the dispute, and' afterwards it was reported that tho council had decided that they should remain -.parties. Immediately afterwards the council went into committee to discuss tho union's demands, but no agreement was reached. The rival assessors did not agreo about hours of work nor about wages, and having failed to agreo on these tvro important points in the dispute, they decided not to proceed with consideration of the other demands. Tlie dispute will therefore come before tho Arbitration Court.