DAIRY EMPLOYEES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 35, 5 November 1919, Page 2

DAIRY EMPLOYEES

CORPORATION EXEMPTED FROM DISPUTE MINIMUM WAGE AGREED UPON \ Tho hearing of the dispute between tho Wellington Dairy Employees' Industrial Union of Workers ami tin; City Council Milk Depot and various vending companies was continued before tho Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. W. Newton) yesterday afternoon. Thoso prosent were: Mr. W. A. Grenfell (representing the employors),/Mr, J. Rcid (rcpre- « senting the employees), and Mr. J. Harlea (representing tho City Council Milk DOJKIt). Consideration was devoted to tho question of tho corporation's position in relation to the dispute. At the outset Mr. Harlon intimated that the City Council claimed totai. exemption from tho dispute. In answer to tho Commissioner, Mr. - Reid proceeded to rciato the position respecting the altitude of lh« employees to the Milk Depot on the question of wages. The union, he stated had .been in touch, with the.Municipal Miik Committee, and it was agreed that there should be a minimum wage similar to that in> tha caso of general labourers, viz., ,£3 15s. per week, plus a quart of milk per day. Ou condition that' that was I'.onccriod, the union was prepared to meet tho offi. cers of tho Milk Depot to discuss the other clauses in dispute, and following this forward suggestions to the Milk Committee for tho purpose of drawing up an agreement covering the Milk Depot employees. Tho union was quite pre-. pared to accede to the request of tho City Council for exemption.

Mr. Horlen said that ho had been given to understand that the council was prepared to pay £i 15s. per week without the milk. Mr. lleid explained that the union, could not agree to this. Tho position was that all along tho men had been' given the quart of milk, and if this wcro taken away it would mean that the increase proposed would only amount to Is. Cd. per week. He had tho a6suranco of Mr. Norwood, chairman of the Milk Committee, that the milk was to bo given as before. Following further discussion, the Commissioner communicated with Mr. Norwood by telephone, and Harlen. then announced that the position was that tho men should receive £'i 15s. per week plus the quart of mill: per diem. The speaker further stated that it. was desirablo that the council shouul be left out of tho dispute, in order that it could come to some arrangement with its employees in the depot, who worked under different conditions to thoso employed by the vendors. k Mr. Beid stated that the tinicn only agreed to the exemption of tho City Council because it felt that tho depot employees' demandb would be nmicablj sottled by the council. If the union was not treated fairly it had illegal remedy but ho 'believed that the City Counc. would treat the depot employees fairly. It wis. then agreed to strike out th City Corporation from the dispute. Th working conditions of the depot emplo.t ees. will now be arranged between th union awl tho Milk Committee. . In connection with tho dispute bctweei tho vondors, agreement has been reachec on the following points:—Terms of en. gagcnient; no deduction from wages except through sickness or default of worker; no boys to be allowed on.tho carts; one week's notice in writing of termination of engagement, but this will not prevent summary dismissal for drunkenness or dishonesty; wages to 'bo paid weeklys and the usual preference clause Tho main points in dispute- are hours of wofk, wages, and holidays. These, it is understood, will go before the Arbitration Court for settlement