WOOLLEN MILLS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3085, 16 May 1917, Page 6

WOOLLEN MILLS

DISPUTE WITH THE WORKERS

CONCILIATION COUNCIL

PROPOSALS

The Conciliation Council sat yesterday to deal with the dispute uf the Wellington Woollen Manufacturing- Co., Ltd., anil the Petone Woollen Mill Employees' Union. The Conciliation Commissioner, Mr. Hagger, presided. Mr. A. E. Donne sat as assessor tor the employers, and Mr. A. Anderson as assessor tor the union.

'The council makes the following recommendations, among others, to the parties:—

Forty-eight hours shall constitute a week's work, 83 hours being worked on five davs of the week and i{ hours on Saturday. The hours,of working .at night shall be arranged between the mill manager and the majority of the night work-

ers. Overtime shall be paid for at the following rates:—Time -and a quarter for the first three hours, time and a half for the second three hours; thereafter double time until starting time _ next morning. Double time shall be paid for work done on Sundays, and on the holtdays prescribed in the Factories Act. the minimum wage to be paid to ah workers comiug within the scope of the agreement shall not be less than Is. 2d. per hour. The minimum wage to be paid for special operations shall be as follows: —Woolsorters,- warpers, pattern weavers (hand loom), spinners, and assistant carders, Is. 3d. per hour; tuners, Is. 4Jd. per hour. The following holidays shall be observed and paid for: New Tear's Day, Good Friday, Easter -Monday, birthday of reigning Sovereign, Labour Day, and Christinas Day. The minimum wage for females who have served four 'years and upwards shall be .£1 12s. .per week. The rate paid to piece-workers, both male and female, as at December 14, 19U, shall, plus 7} per cent., be the rate which shall continue to be paid during the currency of the agreement, provided that such piece-workers, .except weavers, shall i-eceive not less than the amount specified for the time-workers. Any weaver of four years' experience in a mill, who does not average tlio minimum wage over a period of three months, shall have his or her wages made up to that amount: Piece-workers employed overtime shall be paid, in addition* to the earnings, a sum equal to one-quarter of the amount of the said earnings. 6 Twenty-four hours' notice of termination of engagement shall be given on cither side.

During Hie war and for six months after it. all workers shall be paid a war bonus of 2J per cent, upon their pay. The proposed agreement contains a preference clause. It is suggested that the term of the agreement bo from May 1, 191", to six months after the termination of the war with Germany. ,