THE SADDLERY TRADE:

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 47, 19 November 1920, Page 9

THE SADDLERY TRADE :

UNION CLAIMS FRESH AWARD 1 PROVISION AGAINST ASIATICS ' As stated in Thh Dominion recently, a .conference wns hold in Wellington bo- . tween representatives of tho Wellington baddlers Union and tho employers for ■ the purpose of considering claims by tho union for a new award, but no agreement was roached, and the gathering' broke up after a somewhat stormy "dis- . oussion. A disputo hoe now been filed by the union, and tho hearing will take' place before ,a Council of Conciliation ■: early next-month. The respondents are" the employers in the Wellington, Manawatu, and Hawke's Bay districts. In tho claims filed by the union there is contained .a. clause stipulating that Asiatics Bhall not be employed in tho industry. Tho union is asking that the hours of work shall"be 48 per-week.. Only, four classes, of workers shall bo Tecog,lll66(l or .employed, namely,' journeymen, apprentices, female stitchers, and female machinists. Female stitchers in the bagmaking department may bo emrdoyed to paste strawboards for portmanteaux and Gladstone bags, and any other work that the union may agree to. It is asked that a saddler gnall.be defined as any person engaged'in the.manufacturing or renair- . ing of saddles, bridles, harness,' machine Kelting, military accoutrements, horse/ arid cow covers, strappings,. leggings/ or any class of leather work that a shd.dler is usually employed at. The union . also desires that all bag, portmanteaux, 'trunk and collar-makers, and fancy Ira-' ther workers shall be inclnded in the award. ' With regard to wages it is urged that .every journeyman working at any branch.of the trado 6hall bo paid not •less .than' 2d. 6d..'per hour, as against 2s. l}d. per hour at- present,., all wages '.to be paid weekly, and one week's notice .to 'be given .on either side. Journey-, women machinists shall be .paid not.;less" than Is. Gd. nor hour whilst using certain .types of machines, but wlion employed on heavier machines ..the" union . requests that they bo paid 2s. Gd. ne?; .hour.. Overtime for .all 'workers 'is claimed at tho rate of time anil h half for , the first three hours, ■ and thereafter double time; provided that work done "' on Sundays or holidays shall be paid at. double time rates. Any employer."may arrange wjth any or all of his workers • to work piecework" at rates to be .set out in a log to be mutually ngreod unon .'between the employers and the union, which log may. at tho request of tho be embodied in a supplemental?'. ■-" award. ■•■■'■ . The claims, .include an under-rate '. wbrkors' clause, and the weekly rates I

'asked for apprentices. are -as follow:r----,First year, 20s.'; second year, 30s.;third' " year, 40s.;'fourth' year, .505.; fifth year, , COs..The minimum weekly wages.claimed ~ for female stitchers and machinists ate ■ as follow:—First year, 20s.;.second year.• 305.; third year, 405.; fourth year, £2 10s.; fifth vear, £3; thereafter not less than ,£3 ids. ." With respect to apprentices, the'claims contain the following provisions:—t'ho■;period of apprenticeship shall be.'fivo years, but three months' probation shall be allowed tho first employer of any ap- ' prentice to determine his fitness, such three months to bo included in the period of apprenticeship; and the obliga- ' tion.of the apprentice to servo his employer shall bo ' deemed 'to bo' a. d utv enforceable under this award. At the end qf the period' of apprenticeship the employer shall give the apprentice a certificate to show that he has served his ' apprenticeship. Should tho employor at . nny time "before tho termination of the apprenticeship wish for nnv reason t.> ' dispense with the services of the appren- . tice, he shall give him a certificato for. ' tho time served and procure him an- ' other employor carrying on business withiii a reasonable distancg. of (ho orig'inal employer's place of business, who "Bhall continue to teach the. apprentice, to pay him the wages prescribed by--this, award accordingto -the total length •-■of time he; has served, and generallv to perform the obligations of tho original employer, provided that it shall ndt be obligatory upon an omployer to find the apprentice another employer, if he shall so misconduct himself as to entitle the ■employer to discharge him; but he shall, give him a certificate for the time actuiilly" served. An employer taking an apprentice ' shall give notice thereof and of the name of the apprentice to-tho ■'. Inspector of Factories within ono week : jrfter the expiration of the period of pro- \ bation, and an omployer transferrins an •' upprentice / to another employer shall ' mmilurly within one week- .thereof givo' ' jiotico of 6iich transfer to such inspee- j tor and the .secretary of the union.' An omployer shall not be deemed to dis- - (liargo his duty' towards his-apprentice if he fails to keep him at work owing to slackness of work,-but such slackness ; why forjii a for trans. : terring him to a master, willing to under ' take of teaching hini. •' •When an" apprentice, is discharged for- J •cause tlu) employer shall send notice of' 1 ■ the discharge and the cause thereof to ' the Inspector of Factories and the secre- ' tary of the union. No, deduction shall > lie made from the wage of an npnren- ' tice except for time lost through the ' worker's own default, and the appren- 1 tice shall make up such lost' time be- i ■ fore the following year of his apprentice- '< -ship shall be deemed to commence, and- .] tho total period of his. apprenticeship, i shall be extended for a period equal to such lost timp. . •

The'proportion of apprentices and female, stitchers to journeymen employed by any oihployer shall not exceed tho • following, viz.:—ln the saddlery branch, . one Apprentice and, one .female sitoher to evory -throe journeymen or fraction :of three journeyman; machino branch, one male or femnle apprentico to every throe jourribyinen or fraction of thrJo journeymen- or jottrneywomen recOßuiswl, machinists; harness branch, one male or female apprentico to one journeyman, or one male and'one female.apprentice or - two male apprentices to tlireo journeymen, and the same proportion of . apprentices shall apply to.every additional one or three journeymen employed;.col-lar-making branch,, one apprentice to one. Journeyman, or two apprentices to three journeymen, and tho same proportion of '. apprentices shall apply to every tuMi--tional one three journeymen employed; .bridlo-'cutting branch, one apprentice and two female stitchers to dno journeyimnnn, or one apprentico and three female, stitchers to two journeymen, or one apprentice and four female stitchers 'to tlireo journeymen, or two apprentices and five female stitchers to four .journeynie.n, and ' one female stitcher to eyery additional journeyman; bas,' and .ttunkmukefs to have one apprentice to. each journeyman, male ..or female. Where there is only one appren"tico kept,-,and he has, served three years, an additional apprentico may be.taken on so as to enable the former ; to have a better opportunity of; learning the trade. For tho purpose of determinin:; the proportion of apprentices and/ feinalc'stitcliers to journeymen in taking any new apprentice- or jfemalo stitcher, tho calculation shall 1» bused on a twothirds full-time employment- of rcompe-. tent journeymen employed during tho three previous calendar months. Holidays' asked, for are New. Year's Day, Anniversary Day, -Good Friday, Easter' Monday, Sovereign's Jiirtliday, Labour Day, Anznc Day.Christmno Day, and Boxing. Day. Each worker, after twelve months' service, shall be ((.ranted an annual holiday of It days On full pay. Tho usual preference olause is included in the claims, also the following stipulation: "Asiatics, shall not be employed in this industry." It is''requested that tho award shall I remain in force for 12 months as from November.-t last. The assessors for the union at the hearing of tho dispute will be Messrs. A. Goltop, 11. Heap, and 11. Dyson. \