COURT OF ARBITRATION

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2449, 30 April 1915, Page 3

COURT OF ARBITRATION

COOKS & STEWARDS

DEMANDS OF UNION CO.

The Court of Arbitration, continued its sitting, in Wellington, yesterday, Mr. Justice Stringer presiding. With him were Messrs. E. F. D.uthie ers' representative), and J. A. M'Cultoiigh (workers' representative). " Tne dispute taken was that of the Federated Cooks and Stewards upon New Zealand steamers.' Mr. 0. W. Smith and Mr. W. Pryor represented the shipping companies, and Mr. B. J. Carey the Federated Cooks and Stewards. .. ,' "/Mr. Carey asked that the owners or small steamers should not he attached .to the dispute. The conditions were different, in the Union Company's service, and' in the service of the small coastal boats.- They were prepared to confer later with the small shipowners,. with the object of getting a separate ■ agreement. ' - Mr. Pryor objected to the separation of the two interests, and said trouble might arise" in the future if separate awards were made. His Honour finally said that the Court would confine itself to the dispute with the Union Company. The intrusion of subsidiary matter into the dispute might'embarrass the Court. In ally award they gave they would see that nothing was-included to injuriously affect the interests of the small owners. Proceeding with this case Mr. Carey said, that jt was regrettable that •the dispute should have reached the Court,without an agreement in any particulars. ..Tliey represented one-fourth of the employees of the company on shipboard,, and they were the only section which had to go to Court for settlement. ■ They had at all times relied upon,the.Arbitration Act,to settle their grievances. There was a. section of the trade union; movement, he continued, : that sought to convince workers that arbitration would not win them the conditions they sought, and that the strike method was the most effective. In. the shipping industry the two methods had been keenly tested, and in their section they were relying upon arbitration. The demands of the firemen and sailors for, regulation of hours and preference were granted immediately they followed _the strike method, and the engineers in the same way received eight hours, but the cooks and stewards were refused a ten-hour day.

■ bv. v ■ Strllie- Method Considered. Many'.of their claims were identical to those gained under strike methods and they thought that they should- get some recognition, as they had relied entirely upon arbitration. He stated, however,/that the question of a strike to obtain redress'had been discussed in every "glory hole" for the last two Christmases. ..The Union Company and the industry , generally was in a'position to provide fair and reasonable labour conditions. The prosperity of the company was an everlasting source of discontent with the members, of the union, who contrasted their own conditions .with those obtaining amongst workers ashore. - As a result of it all fcliore was such a state of discontent among their section of workers that they were almost ready to do anything to amend.their conditions. It was regrettable that the company had not met them fairly, and that tile Court was called upon to deal with the dispute. The company '.must, and did, recognise'that many of the claims were justified, but it would not settle with them. It forced the case with the Court for two main reasons, he contended, namely: (1) "Tli.at it wants the excuse of an Arbitration award for passing on whatever improvements wo shall secure in this case" ;,and (2) "That it is fearful of prejudicing tho Australian ship-owners-in the forthcoming Commonwealth case with our union on the other side." Tho company, said Mr. Carey, immediately after .its agreement with tho seamen in Ipll, tot hack from the public the full cost of the improvement grunted. ' Mr. Smith: is not so. Mr. Cacov: Our information is that it is. ' , Further, Ml'. Carey siud taut tho am r

ployers contended that tips to stewards should be taken into consideration, but ho asked the Court to refuso to consider this question. As to wages, he contended they were not asking too much, and he pointed out that there were married men in the service receiving 18s. per weok., If the Court would grant the demands the union would do all in its power to do away with "the blackmailing system of tip's," and would agree to the dismissal of any steward accepting tips.

The Demands of the Union. Coming to tho demands, Mr. Carey said that from. the earliest stages of tile company's history till 1 to-day, a period of forty years, the wages had virtually remained the same. Their present claims were based upon the increases granted to all other classes of labour on shipboard, and the current hotel workers' awards. There were About 1100 workers involved. In some eases the working hours averaged 80 to 90 per week, but 70 had been taken as a basis. A third of tho men were only getting 3d. per hour, another third less than 4d., and the remainder from sd. to lid. per hour; 410 men got £4 per month, and a further 4GO £5 10s. Tkj- day stewards' wages were £2 10s. b«Jow those of seamen, whereas in 1902 they were only £1 lower. There wa6 a far less difference between the two ranks on the Home boats. A sailor here gets £8, and a 6econd-class steward £4. They compared badly also with' New Zealand hotel workers. Tho wages tho union now asked for stewards were as follow: —First-class stewards £8, second-class £7, with other grades in proportion. The, hours of labour asked were 10 per day between 5.30 a.m. and 8.30 p.m.; overtime at the date of Is. per hour, in terminal ports, the hours to be then 8 per day, with other conditions governing Sunday, sailing hours, and holidays. An annual holiday of 14 days was asked. Preference was also asked for all departments under the union. The demands for cooks 011 the inter-colonial and Island boats were: Chefs £16 a month, second-cooks £10 10s':, second extra cooks £9, .third £7, scullerymen £7,; baker £12, second baker £7, crew cook £7, butcher £10, and other ratings in proportion, for the Vancouver and 'Frisco service ranged higher, and for the Home trade slightly lower. Evidence as to cooka' hours and work was then called. • The dispute stands part heard.