STAGE EMPLOYEES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 173, 11 April 1918, Page 6

STAGE EMPLOYEES

CONCILIATION COUNCIL CONSIDERS DEMANDS ASSESSORS OBJECTED TO The Conciliation Council sat yesterday under the presidency of Mr. W. Non-ton to consider llio application fes a new award filed by the Wellington Stage Employees' Union. .The assessor/-; for the employers wero Messrs. Bert; Koyle, Walter' Fuller, and Hugh D.. Wilson, with Mr. W. Grenfell as agent. On behalf of the union there appeared Messrs. Henry E. Butler (Auckland),. John Ciirrie (Christchurch), and Fred, Wnnl (Dunedin), with Mr. B. 0. Smith (Auckland) as agent. The demands weia published in last Tuesday's Dominion. When the council opened the following letter of protest from Mr. Grenfell regarding the personnel of tlio employees' assessors was read by the Commissioner:

"1 have heen asked to draw your attention to the personnel of the union's! assessors named in this case, and to. inform you that the employers object to> and protest against this course adopted, by the union of bringing into a Wellington dispute three outsiders who areunknown as workers to the local employers. It will he obvious to you thai the employers would prefer to discuss: the details of employment with their- j own workmen, and that it is not in the. interests of conciliation, por will it conduce to' the settlement <A the dispute,, for employers to be compiled to discuss freely the working conditions with men who aro strangers _to them, and who are probably unacquainted with local conditions. If the conference proves abortive, I do not doubt but that the constitution of the council will be largely responsible. If anything can be done to secure tho presence <vf local workers as assessors, it is believed that % that would assist towards a settlement." .... .j Mr. Newton held that the union's ■ action-was perfectly justified, seeing that, so he, was given to understand, any agreement arrived ot in Wellington would be taken as a basis of an agreement in all the other centres. According to Mr. Wilson, no information was given to this effect in the citation, while Mr. Royle asked for a dehnite understanding that the matter would, not be reopened in the other centres. On behalf-of the union, Mr. Smith assured tho employers that tho workerswere not meeting them in any antagonistic spirit. No antagonism was meais by the appointment of outside assessors. They desired an amicable agreement: which would be acceptable all over the, Dominion. The existing machinery did. not give the union power to ask tor a. Dominion award. The union wanted to. work in complete harmony with the employers, and it had no symptoms of a revolutionary nature. .. Ks an upshot of the discussion, the employers withdrew their opposition, ml the understanding that the award would, be to all intents, a Dominion award. The picture theatre proprietors of Wellington, through.Mr. H. W. Shortt objected to being cited as parties as. they did not come under any of the. clauses of the award. None of them employed "effects" with their pictures. The objection was sustained. The council then discussed, details of the proposed award, and had not.arcived at a settlement when the , adjournment was taken in the evening until this morning,