ARBITRATION COURT

Evening Star, Issue 19783, 6 February 1928, Page 6

ARBITRATION COURT

DUNEDIN SITTING CONTINUED TJio Arbitration Court—His Honor Mr Justice Frazer (president), Messrs A. L. Monteith and W. Scott , (assessors) —resumed sitting to-day. CORPORATION BOS DRIVERS. The tramway workers’ dispute, concerning the wages and conditions of motor bus drivers, was again brought before the court. This matter was mentioned last week, when His Honor suggested the parties should confer and endeavor to come to an agreement, the court having already laid down the principle that tramway bus drivers ought to be dealt with in connection with the general tramway staff instead of being brought under the general transport workers’ award. Mr Cookson said it did not teem possible to put the case before the court in the limited time at the conrs’s disposal. The corporation proposed that' the conditions relating to bus drivers in the transport drivers’ «wara should be incorporated in the tramway award, but the union did not appear to be agreeable to that course. h they went into the question of what tramway conditions applied to the bus drivers it would take a long time. For that reason ho asked that the case he adjourned to the next sitting of the court. If in the meantime they could come to an agreement they would ask the court to make an award. If an award was not made till the next sitting of the court he would agree that it be retrospective from March 1. Mr Robinson opposed the application. He stated that when the application of the bus drivers to be brought under the drivers’ award was thrown out they became members of the Tramways Union. The union had done its utmost to come to an agreement since last Friday, and had not been successful. Mr Robinson outlined the history of the bus drivers’ award difficulties, and said that if the application were not successful they would be right in asking that the wages and broken time conditions should be retrospective. The drivers at present had no protection. His Honor adjourned the dispute until the next sitting of the court, oil the understanding that any increase of ordinary wages and for broken time shifts' should be retrospective to March 1. A PJPRENTICESHIP OR DER SOUGHT. Application was made for an apprenticeship order in the motor engineering industry in the Otago provincial district. The recommendations ,pf the Apprenticeship Committee included the following note:—“The members of the committee could not agree upon—(a) the rate of wages and (b) whether additional increments should be payable to apprentices who pass specified examinations.” The Inspector of Labor (Mr Lightfoot) said the date of the operation of the order was also in dispute. Mr A. J. Rice, for the union, said the committee had done useful work. The matters in dispute were, he claimed, agreed to by the committee, but wore turned down by the Employers’ Association. It was unfortunate' that tbo employers could not agree with what had been done by the committee. Jt was most important, in the interests of the general public, that motor mechanics should be properly trained, because if a job were not done well public life might be endangered. He submitted that if an improvement, could be suggested on orders made in other districts, and evidence brought m support of it, they were justified in asking the court to give consideration to such improvement. Mr A. 8. Cookson, for the employers, said that the principal matter in dispute was that of wages, hut there were some other details to which the employers objected. There are at present only two apprenticeship orders operating in this industry, one' covering a twelve-mile radius from the Scddon Memorial College, Auckland, and the other a twelve-mile radius from Cathedral square, Christchurch. The local committee had agreed that the order now to be made shall operate over the whole Provincial District of Otago. It did not appear practicable for the committee to exercise proper supervision over apprentices who might bo employed at a considerable distance from Dunedin, and in sqch a (own as Oamani the local employers might prefer to look after their own apprentices. For these reasons it might be desirable for the court to restrict the operation of the order to within a reasonable radius from the Chief P.ost Office, Dunedin. With regard to wages, the employers felt very strongly that the recognised standard for apprentices to trades of this class should not be departed from. The rates prescribed by the Auckland and Christchurch orders were for the first year Lis, for tiie second year 22s (3d, for the third year 30s, for the fourth year 37s (3d, and for the fifth year 15s. Exactly similar rates were fixed for apprentices to the engineering, boilermaking, moulding, carpentering, furniture making, bricklaying, plastering, and stone masons’ trades. The motor trade was very closely allied to the genera! engineering trades, and any increase over the recognised standard rates granted to motor apprentices could not logically be wtihhcld from the general engineering apprentices, nor indeed, from any of tiio other skilled trades, and, as the court was well aware, the engineering trade in particular could not carry any further increase in wages. In the copy of the draft order which was supplied with the union’s application allowance had not been made for the recent amendment of the Act whereby the district proportion of apprentices was abolished. The employers were not so much concerned with the schedule setting out the course of technical instruction, but they strongly objected to the passing of an examination before an apprentice was entitled to an increase in wages being made compulsory. This might lead to an indefinite extension of the original term of the apprenticeship. The draft regulations also made provision for the appointment of examiners at a remuneration to he fixed by the court, but he thought that was a matter which was beyond the court’s jurisdiction. It appeared to the employers that the attempt to elaborate the technical training conditions was made the purpose of justifying the claim lor higher wages than from a genuine desire on the part of the union to promote the welfare of the apprentices. The employers sincerely hoped that the present recognised standard would be maintained, as any departure therefrom in this case would probably result in similar increases to apprentices in all trades. In view of the possibility of apprentices commencing in Dunedin and completing their training in Christchurch, or vice versa, it was highly desirable that the conditions should be,, the same in both centres.

The minimum rates of wages asked by the union were;—First year, 15s a week; second year, £1 2s 6cl; third vear, £1 15s; fourth year, £2 7s fid; fifth year, £3. The increases in the last three years were subject to the provisions of a schedule which allowed no increase in those years unless the boy passed an examination. His Honor said he could not see the merits of the new system put forward by Mr Rice as compared with the old system. It was proposed to give nii

increase only when a boy passed an examination, but under the old system there was both a threat and a promise. The boy would not get his schedule rise if it turned out that the committee was not satisfied with the work done during the year. Then there was the promise that, if in addition to doing good work, the boy passed an examination, he would get a special rise. He did not want people to think that the court did not appreciate the excellent work of the Technical College-: It would be in the interests ot both the employers and the unionist* to see the boys getting good training. The lads would he worth more money after they got their apprenticeship through. Employers should aim at giving boys the best possible training, and the benefits would accuro in after life. The matter would be considered, and an order would be made as soon as the court was able to act. _ The court reserved its decision.