DRIVERS' DISPUTE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2936, 23 November 1916, Page 7

DRIVERS' DISPUTE

THE EMPLOYERS'REPLY

CONFERENCE RECOMMENDS WAR BONUS

FACTS OF THE POSITION

After a conference extending ovor ...two days, representatives of the employers affected by tho dispute in tho carrying industry decided yosterday to ' opposo any increase, in wages, but to iccommend tho payment of a war bonus. Mr. W. Pryor, socretary of the Employers'. Federation, mado a statement last night embodying tho results of the conference, and tho caso for the employers. As a result of tho deliberations, it was decided to convey tho resolution following to tho Acting-Primo Minister (Hon. J. Allen) and the Acting-Minis-ter of Labour (Hon. W. H. Horries): — That this mooting cannot recommend employers to agree to any alteration in tho minimum rates of pay" awarded by tlio Arbitration Court, but that they should individually bo recommended to pay such increased rates as a war bonus as the capabilities of tho workers and other circumstances 'justify. It was- also decided to recommend each centre to take the matter up and see that tho intention; of tho conference bo given full offect to. The Employers' Statement. , Dealing with tho position of tho ' drivers, tho following official statement was made by. Mr. Pryor in behalf of the employes:— ■ "The statement has been made that drivers had only received a 6s. increaso ; lroni, the' Arbitration Court for the ! last seventeen years.' Tho position is [that in 1899 an agrcoment was entered. I into in Auckland providing for 7s. a i, day, six of the principal firms being flowed two drivers each at 6s. a day. ! Only actually, worked was paid tor. The .working .week wa s 49 hours. "In the same year, at wages . were fixed at £2 2s. a week for single Jiorse drivers and £2 55." for drivers of .two or more horses, tho •■week being 47* hours. The first awards were.made in Dunedin and Christchurch in 1902, the wages being £2 2s. and £2 6s. weekJy for one and two-horse drivers respect.ively. In no caso was there any limitation of tho time to bo given for attendance au horses. "The-Dominion Award, over which the present trouble lias arisen, prescribes £2 12s. a week for drivers of ioiie horee, and £2 16s.- for drivers of jtwo or more horses, and a 48-hour .week. In the award made in 1912, stabie attendance was limited to eight hours a week for all classes of" work. In the present award, stable attendance is fixed at four hours a week for drivers of ono horse, and at eight hours for drivers of two, or more 'horses. The position is that while .previous to the first awards being made in tho various districts the average wage earned by drivers was ,355. a week_ (and it should be noted that only time actually worked . was paid for)',. the Dominion Award prescribes £2.125. to £2 16s.,'without any lost time, the. difference being 17s. and 21s. per week respectively in the case of one-horso and two-liorse drivers. Actual Earnings. "With regard to the ' callings of drivers, the public, jias Eeen led tiTfjelieve that" generally speaking drivers are paid only £2 12s. a week. Returns have been prepare"!! which snow that, without overtime, one-horse drivers in \\ ellington receive an average Weekly wage of £2 15s. lid., and twohorse drivers of £8. The Wellington returns apply to nearly 300. drivers, and show that out of those only 75, or, 25 per cent., receive the minimum wage.' The actual earnings of the drivers employed by several of tho phief firms, inclusive of overtime, is £3 lis. 9d. a week. In another caso tlio average Earned by one-horse drivers is £2 16s. 3d., and by twodiorse drivers £3 ss. sd. Other instances give £2 17s. 6d. and £3 6s. 6d. for one-horso and two-horse drivers respectively, and £2 18s. aud £3 6s. respectively. "In Auckland the returns-show that the average wages earned, inclusive of overtime, aro £2 15s. lOd. for onehorse drivers, and £3 3s. 4d.'for drivers of two and morohorses. In Wanganui a large percentage of'tho men. get £3 a week and over; in Masterton the returns show that wages range from £2 15s. to £3 10s. These figures demonstrate that in a very largo number of cases drivers oven how are receiving considerably moro than the minimum wage. Wages Compared. "Comparing wages earned by drivers with those of workers in other trades, it will bo seen that they are better paid than the great majority of workers in other callings. It is impossible to securo Government returns of the principal wages paid, but a fair .idea can bo gained from the last census returns published in tho Labour Department's report. Taking the lowest minimum prescribed for drivers, namely, £2 12s. a week, which is £135 4s. a year, the returns referred to show that for workers of 21 years and, over in 109 trades, wages averago less than £130 a year. In 15 trades they average £130 to £140 a year, about tho same as tho drivers. In 22 trades tho averago, is ovor £140, which shows that out of 146 trades only 22 earn moro than tlio drivers. Evidence has been given repeatedly by unionists in the' Arbitration Court which shows that tho general labourer's average wage is about -365. a week. In Dunedin during the hearing of the drivers' disputo several witnesses were called by tlio union, who stated that their earnings wero higher as drivers than in other occupations they had been engaged in. It is therefore misleading to say that drivers have only received increases to tho amount of 6s. in tho last 17 years, that tho drivers' wago is £2 125., or that they aro' worso paid than tho general run of other workers. In addition to this, tho increased wages which havo been secured by tho drivers since 1899 moro than cover tho increase in tho cost of living over that period. The Government ,Statistician's returns show that between the period of 1894 and 1898 till Juno, 1916, which includes tho war period, tho total increase in tho cost of living (food, commodities, and rent) is 33.5 per cent. It is shown abovo between 1899 and the present time wages havo increased from 355. to 525. in the caso of onehorse drivers, and from 355. to 565. in the caso of two-horse drivers, this being an increase of 4S per cent, and 60 per cent, respectively.

Increased Charges on Employers, "Tt should further ho pointed out that the recent increase of 4s. per week represents, apart from the advantage gained by tlia reduction of hours for stable attendance and other improved conditions, an addition of £20,000 a year to the wages of tbo drivers, and that to givo £3 a week to nnc-horso drivers and £3 Cs. a. week to two-horso drivers would mean a further addition of £40,000 a year. "The attitude adopted by the employers is that/ after the very exhaustive hearing given by the Court to the dispute, the employer's should not now

be asked to alter tho award by agreeing to an increaso in tho minimum wages l'atos prescribed. The conforonco, however, decided that owing to tlio peculiar and abnormal conditions prevailing at tho prcsont time, and ill order to avoid any responsibility for a strike, they would recomniond employers in tlio various centres to meet tho situation by granting a war bonus ill accordanco with tho capabilities of tho •workers and other circumstances. Amount of tho Bonus. "Tlio question of tho amount of war bonus to bo granted was left, for consideration by each centre, iso that it could bo dealt with according to local circumstances. It is confidently bolioved that in view of tlio fact that so many drivers are now paid more than tho award rate, and in consideration of tho war bonus that will bo given by tho employors, such treatment wil bo given to tho drivers as will remove all cause of dissatisfaction. "It has to bo noted that although the Dominion award does not como int<j operation until November 27. the Court made interim awards in every centre visited 'by it, which, except so far as stable.attendanco is concerned, aro similar to the recent award. It would not be correct to say that tho drivers have been kept out of their increase owing to the delay in making tlio Dominion award." ' MEETING OF THE UNION A meeting of the union was held last night. The object of tho meeting was simply to give members a progress report, and tho interest in tho present situation was shown by tho very largo attendance—tho largest in the history of tho union. Tho meeting was addressed by visiting delegates from Aucklanfl, Wanganui, Napier, and Gisborno. Delegates from tho Miners' Union, .who aro in town on their own business, also attended tho meeting, and assured tho drivers of thoir sympathy and support in the event of a satisfactory settlement not being arrived at.