WOOLLEN MILL WORKERS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2692, 11 February 1916, Page 8

WOOLLEN MILL WORKERS

i • | ADVANCE IN WAGES : THE DEMANDS OF THE UNION , On January £0 the secretary of the , I'etone Woollen ill Workers' Union (Mi\ U. Kennedy) forwarded the i'ollow- ' ing letter to the secretary of the Well- | ii:gton Woollen Company:— i "Dear Sir,—l am instructed by the above union to write to your company 1 requesting that they kiiali grant to : their employees at the Woollen Mills, 1 I'etone (.both time an<l pieceworkers) ' an increase c-f ten per cent, on the | wages now paid to them, such increase i to remain in operation until the ter- ■ initiation of the present war. Owing ! to the over-increasing cost of' the , necessaries of life, a jiosition that was not anticipated by any of the parties when the present award was entered into by the parties thereto. Trusting that your company will see their way clear to grant the request now asked for on behalf of the workers employed by them at the Woollen Mills, or if your company so desire, representatives of the union would be prepared to meet- the directors of your company in a conference to discuss and try to mutually arrange the proposal herein ■ contained. —Yours faithfully, E. Kennedy, secretary." The company replied to this letter on January 24 as follows:— "Dear Sir,—Your letter of the T.Oth instant asking for an increase of 10 per cent, on the wages of the company's mill operatives las been considered by mv directors. It is noted that the demand you make (10 per cent.) is just 100 per cent, more than las been made on the southern mills. The Dunediu secretary, in asking the woollen companies in Ilia district for an increase of 5 per cent, points to this, company as an example to be emulated in the treatment of its workers. However, I am instructed to say that as the existing award for goods ivcro based on the belief that wages could or would not be disturbed for that time, the board is not prepared to discuss the question of altering the award. The observance of the conditions of an award is the only protection employers have when fixing prices for forward deliveries, and as the company's output for 1916 is fully booked at prices based on existing rates of wages, you will readily recognise lie difficulty' of tlie board. As to the increase in cost of living, tie employees of the company can have no complaint as to their weekly' earnings, as owing to the large amount of overtime their wages are much above normal. The directors claim that in tie past they lave not been unmindful of. the interests of tie operatives, but that is all tley are prepared to say, and can make no promise either expressed or implied, as to their course at the end of the financial year.—Yours faithfully (for the Wellington Woollen Co.), A. E. Donne, secretary." Tlese letters were considered at a recent* meeting of the union, and it was pointed ,out that tho employees liid no wish to interfere, with the award, but simply desired a wage that would enable them to live. It was not coiir sidered that £2 Bs. per week was a iiving wage at tlis or any other time. The employees thought- it very -unfair of tlie directors to refuse to hold a conference to consider tho matter, and they wore forced into tho position of doing somotling to protect themselves. It was in consequence decided that unless the company met the emnloyees fairly, no more overtime would be worked. The emplovces felt that they were assisting the directors to the utmost of their ability in working overtime to the detriment of their health, and deserved some consideration in view of the increassd work of the factory.