MUNICIPAL LABOURERS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 7, 3 October 1919, Page 7

MUNICIPAL LABOURERS

COUNCIL VOTES AN INCREASE. There was, a fairly.long discussion by. , the City Council in committee last even- . ing on the subject of general • labourers' waces. On the resumption ini open conn . cil. the Mayor moved "That a wage of =E3 155.. per week bo paid to permanent labourers in the employ of the corporation, subject to wet time being paid. only to those men who report for'duty at the hour of , commence; ment of work, and who stand by under the direction of the ganger; and that tho City>Engineer be authorised to remove, existine-anomalies in. respect ' to the gangers." Councillor P. Fraser moved as • anamendment that the words "at the rate of JE4 per'.week" be substituted for ,£3 15s.'. and that the word "permanent" be deleted. He said that the recommendation- of the committee was a step in advance of its decision;of a few weeks ago. He did not think it possible for, any fam-. ilv to live decently on ,a less, wage than, i£4 a week, which was ; only £2 12s. Bd. ■ on the-pre-war •'.valuo-of M. ■ Furthei, the City Council had* imposed a superannuation scheme,Whicli, whilst it might confer an ultimate imposed • on the employee an additionaVlnirden. Mt. J. Glbver'-seconded the amendment, which was supported ;}>y . Councillors C. H. Chapman and J. Hutchison. ' The Mayor, as'chairman of 1 the committee, referred-to the .enerouß treatment that was being' accorded : to the men, as an award only -cceatly .given .provided for oiily J!3 9s. a week. They might have sheltered under the Conciliation Couucil and' Arbitration Act, but they ' preferred to settle- their, own v troubles.. • In regard to the latest Christchurch award .there was, too, avvery considerable 1 difference between the -southern rate, and that which they-were offering. The position ,-ow was that thejr were going to pay tho men, wet or fine and for holidays, which private employers employing the same class of labour could not do. As to'superannuation scheme, it might entail somo little sacrifice, but it was an ultimate benefit. Reference had been made to the staff; but they must have some legard to the class of work dono iu'assessing the value of service rendered. The '.ouncil wished to do-the fair thing, and lie believed.that every labourer" would hold that it was doing a fair tiling; .■ / After further discussion the amend- • ment was lost by 9 votes to 4.