DAIRY EMPLOYEES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 278, 20 August 1919, Page 10

DAIRY EMPLOYEES

MILK STATION HANDS' DEMANDS

INCREASED PAY AND BETTER HOURS

A FAR-REACHING BUSINESS

Yesterday morning a deputation representing the newly-formed Wellington Dairy Employees' Union, representing some 30 hands, employed at the Municipal Milk Station, waited on the Milk Committee of tho City Council at tho Town Hall,, and submitted tho following demands for higher wages' and shorter horn's, etc.: Hours of Work—l (a) Tho hours of work shall not exceed forty-four hours pel' week, (b) The hours worked on any dav shall not exceed 7 hours 20 minutes.

Wages.—2. (a) The following scalo of wages shall bo paid Fillers, can-wash-ers. chambermen, tippers, can-stackers, aud can-checkers, ill per wock; liftmen And floormen, £i ss. per week; second and third assistants (tester), top floor, ,£! 10s. per week; first, assistant, <£5 per week; lorrv drivers, £o per week; lorry drivers' assistants. M per week, (b) In addition to the above rates, ono quart of milk per day shall be allowed all workers as at present.

Overtime.—3. All time worked outside of or in excess of the hours presoribed in clause 1 hereof, shall count as overtime. and shall be paid for at the rate of time and, a half for tho first two hours and double time thereafter.

Terms of Engagement.—l. (a) The engagement shall be'deemed to bo a weekly one, and no deduction shall bo mado from tho weekly wages except for timo lost through the worker's own default, (b) Olio week's notice in writing of the termination of .engagement shall be given on either side. . •

Holidays.—s. Fourteen days' holiday per annum shall bo allowed to nil employees, on full pay, and any worker having been employed over one month shall be entitled to holidays on a pro raia basis, (a) Work done on Sundays, Christmas Dav. Good Friday, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Easter Monday, Anniversary Day, Labour Day, and tho birthday of tho Reigning Sovereign shall l>e paid for atvthe rate of timo and a half, (b) Workers who havo to work on Sundays shall bo allowed a full day's holiday during the week in lieu thereof as at present, (c) If any holidays are declared for council employees, tho depot employees who are compelled to work shall be paid time and n half for such time if worked.

Puvment of Wages.—G. All wages, including overtime, shall be paid voekly. Conditions.—7. Overalls shall be provided frco for all workers at tho depot, (n) Gnmboots or clogs and aprons shall be provided frco for can-washers, <bl A dressing-room shall bo provided, which shall be fitted with heating :• njiliances and tea-making conveniences. Tho room shall be fully protected from tho elements, and iockcrs shall bo provided for each worker.

Preference.—B. All workers in tho depot shall become members of the union, and it shall be necessary for workers to join the union before commencing work.

Mr. John Ttoad (secretary of the union), who was the chief spoilsman, said It was practically a now line of labour, and they had not much to guida them, as there was no similar sot of conditions in Now Zealand as those in Wellington. Me took it that the council wished to secure a decent stamp of labour for work in tho milk dopot, and that their economic conditions should bo niado somewhat similar to those of pre-war times. Tho speaker pointed .out that thev were asking for & 44-honrs' week. That, ho maintained, was not asking for anything out of tho way in view of the modern trend. It was tho ease with furniture workers, nnd Mr. Bennett would bear him out with regard to carpenters.

Councillor W. H. Bennett: That is not severi-davs-a-wcck work. , . Councillor V. Fmrfcr: All tho mora reason why tho hours should bo shorter when they work more days. In referring to wages, 'Mr. Eead said Hint « week to-day would, on the Government Statistician's figures, be .£2 12s. Bd. in the 1909-13 period. . Tho members of the committeo must, ns citizens, realise, tbat tho men should not he so poorly paid. It had boon stated that thoy were moving in a vicious circle, and to some extent that was true, but not altogether so. In some lines, such as drapery, for example, tho incren.se had been 100 per cent, and over. No ono would say that such a riso had been caused solely by tho riso in wages, yet tlw workers had to pay those prices. Taking drapery and other lines into consideration, Mr. Bead suggested that tho value of the sovereiirti compared with what it was bofore tho war was nearer 10.5. than 13s. 2d. 110 understood that tho holidays had been agreed to verbally by the management of tho station. In most awards double pay was stipulated for in tho case of Sunday work, but as this was' rather unusual work, which had necessarily to extend over tho sevon days of tho week, tho men were-only asking for time and a half for Sunday work.

Mr. Road also mentioned tho necessity of tho council keeping tho men clean and in good health..by providing them froo of cost with overalls and gum-boots.

A Correction. pointed out by Councillors L. M kenzio and W. H. Bennott that the Taieri and Peninsular Milk Company at JJuncdm, and Mr. Ambridge, of Auckn r,V llnniJlo d ncftiily as much milk as Wellington, and therefore it could not be looked upon as a new industry. Councillor Bennett pointed out that tho men in the industry in Auckland had been ■norking under an award for years Mr. Read frankily admitted that he was not aware of that fact. Councillor C. B. Norwood said it was so. Tho Dunedin Company actually handled more milk than the Wellington Comniittoa did, and the Auckland Company about two-thirds of that quantity so it wag not at all a new industry in any stn.se, and there were awards in existence.

Councillor R. A. Wright naked whether tho men, seeing they got a day off durliig lie week when they worked on the Sunday, still asked for time and a half on tliat day. Mr. Read snid that was tho case In reply tlie chairman congratulated tt'i j ? n • caeo ' ls had mado out. Ho had not missed a single point in his appeal on behalf of the men, but after tlie most careful consideration and diacu&ioii the fiyiires before the committee dul not bear out what had been stated, but admitted that the conditions ruliii" cd tho most careful mvcstiffuMon J. lie Wellington award for the 1915-18 period gave the men 12id. per hour, and tho present demand was for 21jd. per hour, an increase of 75 ' pw cent. Now, so far as figures went in different parte of New Zoalilnd tlie Wellington award wages for 1015-18 woro i.'2 12s. (id. for a 53-hwir week; in Auckland, ■£.1 os. Od. for a 53 1-3 hours' week; and in Southland .£2 ss. for a 70 hours' week. Ho added that the Auckland award was from 11118 to 1920; Southland's from 1!)1? to .1919. Tlie Wellington rate of wage* paid since tho municipality took over tho management of the station was .Cll 10s. for a 48 hours' week, whioh was superior to anything ohse in Now Zealand. Although tlie averago hours worked by tho general hands were 48 1-3 hours a weok, the average money paid to each was not ,£,3 10.5. btit £3 'llis, 3jd, and it fluctuated between .£3 12s. and Jii ss. 7(1... Increases Asked Mean £3181 n Year. Continuing, Councillor Norwood said tho demands of the union, Jiotwithslandi ing tho premier position its members ' held with regard to salary and hours over any similar body of workers in Now Zealand, would mean ,£3lßl Ms. Bd. per year additional. That was a very important point indeed. They wore iii ninny respects different from other bodies and must not take the purely labour point of view. So fur as the milk department was concerned the organisation was being ejianged almost weekly, and the duties of tho staff changed us the organisation improved, tie believed with Labour that municipalities should have control of those commodities essential to every household, and now, right at the initial stages of a echeino desired by Labour, tho employees

came down with demands for. increases in wages, which, if placed before them, tbo ratepayers would not let them advance. He asked the union to take that point into sympathetic consideration in any further conferences they might have with the committee, for tho ultimate aim of the scheme was to provide a cheaper and pnrer milk supply, and in making such demands as tlwiso before them they were helping to injure their own people.

Annual Leave and Overtime. Concerning the time allowed far an annual holiday, the chairman said that overtime was paid tho rank and file for horn's over (Uid above those ordinarily worked, but the officers of any establishment were likely to be called on at any time, and hene'e it was the custom to glvo them an Annual holiday to mako up for such calls. The men were working in a seven-days' industry, and wcro being treated on a six-d'iy basis, extra, labour being provided to cover the seventh day. Tho committee had not been pressing on ita employees, and felt that they would be loading; the scheme beyond- what was absolutely necessary by granting such annual leave. Coming to the question of comforts inside, it was quite another matter. Thev must have healthy men to handle tho milk, and thoy must have sufficient to keep them ill ft healthy condition. The committee was quite prepared to look after them in that regard, and would supply the men with gum boots. One of tho men slaved that two pairs should last a man a year.

Respecting tho provision of a dressingroom, tho chairman said that matter would not bo delayed any longer than was necessary. They had acquired more land near tho station, and whilst admitting that tho cottages on.it were not tit for human habitation thoy could not turn the occupants out in the middlo of winter. What might bo done in the summer was qnito another thing. Ho asked tho men to put up with inconvenience for a time, as they could not put the conveniences recessary in tho some building as tho milk, as that might contaminate a food which went broadcast over the whole of Wellington.

An Important Point. The chairman wished to know if it was their employees approaching them or tho union. Tho "Wellington Dairy Employees' Union" seemed to him to have a significance beyond the City Council, and ono that wore better investigated by a tribunal, as it might affect the conditions in tho industry throughout New /.oaland. They had to bo careful in what they did. Ho did not want to be on ono side of tho fence and not say so. He felt that they wero dealing with a. big industry under tho heading named, and not just dealing with their own .employees. Taking No Responsibility.

Councillor Norwood, continuing, said that he dirl not believe that t'ho committee should" take tho responsibility of handling this important question. Ho thought 4 it was a. matter for the Arbitration Court. At tho same t.imo ha believed that the council should bo model employers, and it was in everybody's interest that they should look after tho health of their and they had tlveni as far afield as Otnki. Tho effects of their decision would bo felt even further, and they had to be cautions. Later it would probably be applied to the distribution.

Mr. R«id admitted tho scift impeachment, but said tlmt for the present they wore keeping to the council's employees. He did not see why they could not avoid tho next sta?e (an appeal to ,tJio Conciliation Council), and expressed A strong hopo that an 'amicable settlement would bo reached.

Councillor P. Fraser dissociated himself 'from Councillor Norwood's altitude, cast doubt upon Councillor Npnvood'f figures, and said that no one in "Wellington would objcct to paying an extra {d. a quart to meet tho demands.

Councillor Norwood took Councillor Fraser sharply to task for casting doubt on tlio figures quoted; nnd congratulated the staff for the energy nnd thoroughness which tlhsy had shown in securing them for the guidance of the committee. Ha said tlmt the demands would have tho° fullest and most careful consideration at the hands of the committee.