FURNITURE WORKERS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 98, 18 January 1918, Page 6

FURNITURE WORKERS

CLAIMS FOII NEW AWARD. The Wellington United Furniture Trade Union has filed claims for a new award. The principal items are as follow Hours: 44 per week, except for furniture packers in establishments regulated by the Shops and Offices Act. Wages: Journeymen cabinetmakers, upholsterers, chair and frame-makers, billiard-table fitters, machinists, woodcarvors, turners, polishers, picturefraniers, wire mattress-makers, and spring makers, £3 17s. per week. Labourers employed at timber yards, furniture packing, tailing-out at machines or other unskilled work, £3 6s. per week. A 10 per cent, increase 011 the above rates shall be paid to all employees who may bo engaged on:—(1) Ripping out secondhand upholstered work; (2) remaking bedding or other upholstered work with second-hand materials; (3) washing off furniture with corrosive materials; (4) remaking sec-ond-hand wire mattresses. Upholsterers' work shall include all kinds of bedding, planning and laying of oarpets and linoleums, and cutting ioos? covers and drapings. Cabinetmakers' work shall include 'lie fitting up of imported furniture.

Overtime and holidays: Overtime for work done before the Iwur of commencing work or after ths ordinary hour for ceasing work shall be paid for as follows:—2s. Gd. per hour for first two hours and 3s. 6(1/ per hour thereafter. For work done on Sundays, the weekly half-holiday, and statutory holidays, double time shall be paid. No overtime siiall bo paid until 44 hours have been worked in the week, provided that time lost in any week is iost by the workers' own default.

Apprentices: The, term of apprenticeship is fixed at rivo years wilii wages commencing at 12s. (3d. per week and rising to £2. For picture frame-mak-ers, wire-mattress makers, and springmakers the apprenticeship shall be for three years with wages commencing at 225. 6d. ner week and rising to £2. AVhero practicable within the scope of the award, it shall bo compulsory upon, the employers to allow apprentices two half-days of labour per week in the first three yours of their Apprenticeship to attend technical schools for instruction. and it shall bo obligatory upon an apprentice to attend such schools for instruction, according to the times arranged. There ate other clauses providing for preference, undrr-rate workers, casual labour for certain purposes, travelling time, etc. The ease will he considered by the Conciliation r 'oi>ocil on February 7. Assessors nominated by the union are: —Messrs. Alexander Eickhoff (Christchurch), M'il'iat'i Mansoti ('Auckland), and W. 8. P-ttisou (Dunedin).