WELFARE LEAGUE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 110, 3 February 1920, Page 8

WELFARE LEAGUE

THE WATERSIDERS' DEMANDS WHAT THEY MEAN TO THE PUBLIC URGENT NEED FOR PUBLICITY (Contributed by tho Welfare League.) The employers of waterside .labour received demands 'from the Waterside Workers' Federation which are being considered in private. It is as 17011 that the public should know something of what tho demands mean, as they will ultimately have to pay. These are some of the demands being made:— Hours of Employment. Ordinary time: 8 a.m. till 4 p.m. Overtime: 4 p.m. till 5 p.m.- and B p.m. till 8 p.m., time and a half rates; 8 p.m. till 10 p.m., double time rates No work after 10 p.m.- unless wben finishing a vessel, when they may work till U p.m. On Saturday all work 6ball cease at noon. Between Sunday midnight and 8 a.m. Monday payment, shall lie 1 at. double overtime rates, with a minimum of six hours. » Rates of Pay. increase of Gd. ner'hour on ordinary time is the minimum demanded, but with the overtime ,-and special orertinie hours set out at time and a balf rates, and double time rates, tilie . minimum increases range as Gd.,. 10d„ and Is. lOd. per hour, and maximum increases are Is. Id., Is. lid.,,and 3s. ■id. per hour. , •' Scale of Rates Per Hour Demanded for Wellington. ' Cargo handling, 2s. Gd*, 3s. 9d., fis. Coal, 2s. 7d., 3s. 10! d., ss. 2d. Carrying, 3s. 3d'., 4s. "10Jd., : 6s. Cd. 1 Eepnir work, 2s. 5d., 3s: 7id., 4s. lOd. Handling frozen meat, 2s. 10d., 4s. ad., .is. Sd. . , . ■ Spccial cargoes in bulk, .phosphates, 3s.' Gd., ss. 3d., 7s. Above in bags, 35., 4s. Gd., 6s. Explosives, 2s. Sd., 45., ss. 4d. Coke, 2s. fld., 4s. 2d., ss. 6d. Benzine, etc., ship over GO per cent, cargo, 2s. 10d.„ 4s. 3d., ,ss. Bd. Ditto, I'll per c'nt.. under 60 per cent., 2s. 8d„ is., 'ss. 4d. Ditto, under 30 per cent., 2s. Gd.,' 3s. 9d., 55.. Shof.elling hot coal, 2s. 10d., 4s. Bd., ss. 6d. ' (Tho Auckland and Lyttelton rates are approximately tho same as tho above.) Snecial Payments—Holidays', Etc. Work for a fraction of an hour shall be paid for as an hour. Nine holidays in the year are/provided, and for work on anv of these the following rates are asked:—Sundays, Christmas 'Day, and Good Friday, treble ordinary, .overtime rates, with a minimum engagement of eight hours, except'men taking ship's lines, who shall have four hours. General holidays, doublo' overtime till 5 p.m., and treble 'overtime thereafter. Men 'travelling to and from outports at rate of J3l per day, meals, fares, and sleeping accommodation provided (previously „J4s. per day). Men ordered down and attending in ordinary hours receive minimum of three hours' pay, 'whether working or not (previously two hours). . Men ordered down in overtime hours to receive a minimum of .four hours' pay (previously two hours). Men ordered to commence at 11 a.m. Saturday to receive a minimum of two hours pai till noon Men-ordered back and attending a meal hour, in ordinary hours, or the following morning, to receive a minimum of two hours' pay (previously this only only applied to men ordered during overtime hours). ' Men ordered back in overtime .hours to receive a minimum k of -four hours'*, pay at tho overtime rate, according to tho timo for which they were ordered back, and class of work (a new demand). Increase of Men in Ganas. General cargo work—Six men in gang (previously left to employers). Coal work—Shovelling in hold not less ' than five men (previously four). Shoveltins. screened and Newcastle not less than 6ix men (previously five). Bunkering deep-sea ships—Not less than five men shall' be employed for each gang in collier or hulk (previously • four). Discharging by yardarm—Eight men to bo employed' shovelling (previously six), and ten men in case of Newcastle and weened coal (previously eight). Discharging by iron scoops—When three scoons in • use five men to each scoop (previously four), when four scoops in use Mr-men to each stoop (previously three). * Tllcc.tric cranes—Ten men to a gang (previously eight). ' ■ Reduction in Weights of Slings, Etc, Net or sling of cheese in case of over, seas shins* not to exceed fifteen crates (previously eighteen). . On intercolonial or coastal, not to exceed nine irates (previously twelve). Net of butter to be lifted by the ship's gear not to exceed forty boxes (preventing limit in Auckland of fifty-five boxes in' sling by shore crane). Slim of 'rabbits limited to Jwentyseven crates (previously twenty-seVon to thirty). Weights for trucking in loading or discharging not to exceed lOcwt. ,for two men (previously twelve); nor scwt. for one man.(previously SJcwt.). ' Trucking gang shall not bo less than six men. Where cargo is being dumped ' nil wjinrf the trucking gang to JxKequal ta number of men in hold. When men engaged in stacking and sorting the number must equal to those trucking. AYhcn discharging or 'loading general eai'eo not., more than two gangs at 0119 hatch (previously three). A Summary and Inquiry. What do tliesa demands mean? To summarise the whole matter here piven. ■ and it is by no means, all the demands now made, the Watnrsider Workets' Federation are demanding:— (1) Shortening of the ordinary hours to' 39 per week—7 on five da t vs and 4on Saturdays. • . (2) Limiting of overtime v orlc by tremendous increase of rates on overtime hours. (3) Stoppage of night work at 11 p.m., whether vessels 'are cleared or > ot. . (4) Greatly increased rates 'of pay all round. j (5) Increasing number f.-f men for'each gang in loading, discharging, trnckifig, Snd stacking, etc. (G) Reduction o) loads to be discharged,, trucked, or handled. Shortly and. bluntly put, ihrv want n great, deal less work, more nifn to do it. shorter hours of service, and. on top of all. a considerable r so in v ages. The ii'.nuirv we make is how long is tho public g'oin< to sta'id it? Others. V-ecide the whnvfmen have to live ; ,n New tolnnd. The shinpin.T companies and tlm WnfcrsMors' Fedora'ion are putiu.r their head- together in cnler to fettle matters, Tim troub!" 's that the ordinary citizen wl# has to nay. nay, is not lieing given, a fair h.ear.'ni'. Supnose these demands were ntceM. to. r.r (lie main on"S, it would . i:ndoub''dly mean a enns'derab'o addition in freight* fares, and prices for the great body of consumers to meet. ' ' The existence of siHi drnst-'e demands ■ (rive* eii'nhasis In |!i» i»s|ic" of lh« Welfare League's reoi'cst that the whole of these industrial disputes in tb" lev ; ndu4ries of the Dom'nion should V heard in the onen. and nrl dealt with behind closed doori. wV-re public'" interests mav be d"=(rovol|, withnnt anv i„i| a colret few knowing anything of !l,n ni"lt"l'. „ i Some very fine buildings "navo now been ercctcil in Daiinevirkc lo lake the places' of those destroyed "by ' the big fire which did so much damage to the town in 101S, and a good, deal of buildin" is still going t on. During the month of.lanuarv building permits were issued jii the borough for .£8723, including .CGOtKI for new promises. There is a great demand for house property, and several places which have been purchased i lately have been'turned over at a good margin of profit Mr. J. M. Corudme returned to Masterton last evening after having spoilt several weeks in. tho go.utli,