WORK AND WAGES

Grey River Argus, 18 September 1937, Page 5

WORK AND WAGES

SYDNEY STRIKE Dockyard Engineers [Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] (Received September 17, 8.10 p.m.) SYDNEY, September 17. The engineers employed at the Cockatoo and Morts Docks lately decided to strike for a month, owing to a dispute concerning special margin allowed for ship repair worn. Judge Beeby, in the Arbitration Court, ordered the men to return to work by Monday next, failing which ne would revoke" the clause in their award allowing a special margin of 3s weekly for ship repairs. The men to-day ignored the Judge's threat, and will serve fresh demands on the employers. About 240 engineers are involved.

ARBITRATION ACT AMENDMENT TARANAKI M.P’s. MISTAKE. WELLINGTON, September 17. In the House the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. Amendment Bill was introduced by Governor’s message. The Bill’s purpose is to rectify the position created in connection with the Clerical Workers Unions. It will provide for a widened definition of the term “industry, thus making it possible for clerks in anv office, including woolbrokers, which was the issue raised in the judgment, to join the general organisation of clerical workers. Mr Smith said he thought it unfair to compel men and women to become trade unionists and to be compelled to pay money into the Labour Part;,' s fund if they did not wish to do so If 51 per cent, of the members of a union voted to pay part of the funds of the union to the Labour Party, the other 49 per cent, would be compelled to abide by their decision. Mr Webb assured Mr Smith there was no intention such as he had indicated. in the Bill. It was merely to re-deline the term industry as it had been understood by past Go •ernments, and the accepted definition of which had been upset by the judgment of the Court of Appeal. Unless the Bill was passed, the Court’s judgment would interfere very seriously with other awards. The Bill was read a first time.

NO GOOD FRIDAY PAY.

NELSON, September 17. A decision of importance to fruitgrowers was delivered by the Magistrate (Mr Maunscll) this morning the effect of which is that casual orchard hands need not be paid for the Good Friday holiday. As a test case, a charge was made against Arthur McKee, of employing an agricultural worker in an orchard, and failing to allow a holiday on Good Friday, without deduction, and the information was dismissed. The Magistrate held that Section 3A of the Agricultural Workers’ Extension Order was ultra vires. Further that the clause did not extend to casual workers. “There must necessarily be continuity of relationship. It "is obviously repugnant to treat a casual engagement as continuous. Had the Friday not been a holiday, the employee may or may not receive casual employment. At an}' rate, he had not a contractual right to such employment, therefore there was no failure to pa}’ wages in breach of the extension order.”

BUILDING TRADE WAGES. WELLINGTON, September 16. The continuation of the Conciliation Council hearing of the builders’ contractors’, and general labourers’ dispute was heard in Wellington. Agreements reached affect all industrial districts in the Dominion, apart from the northern industrial districts- The wage rates agreed to were based on the minimum rate of 2s 4d an hour, as set out in the Arbitration Court's pronouncement, with additional proportionate payments for special workers as set out m the present. Wellington award. The following are the hourly rates agreed on for special workers: —Scaffolders, 2s 7d; tunnel and timber men, 2s 7d; explosive men, 2s s}d; aspnalt and tile workers, 2s 6d. concrete workers, 2s 4id; dog men, power crane men, and power winchmen operating winches of 15 horse-power or more in building operations, 2s 7d; men using pneumatic hammers, drills, rammers, borers, or breakers 2s 6d (when such men are employed in tunnelling or in quarrying the rate is to be 2s 7d); men cleaning or clearing blocked sewers or drains, etc., 2s a day extra; demolition workers or men engaged in repairs to builders or fittings destroyed or damaged by fire who have to "handle, charred timber 2s 6d an hour; workers engaged in demolition work 2s sid.

Men employed sinking shafts, sumps, pierholes, or working in trenches of more than six feet depth shall be paid the following rates: More than six feet and up to and including 12 feet, 2s 6d: more than 12 feet, and up to and including 20 feet, 2s 7d: more than 20 feet, 2s 7d; plus Id an hour for every seven feet more than 20 feet.

The new rates of wages are to operate from the date of the agreement, September 16th, 1937. The term of the award is 12 months. Workers governed by this award are to work a 40-hour five-day week, the daily hours to be between 7.30 a.m., and 5 p.m.

BREWERY STRIKE. BRISBANE BEER FAMINE. BRISBANE, September 17. A stay-in strike of 82 employees of the Castlemaine Perkins Limited. Milton Brewery, resulted in most of the Brisbane hotels running out of draught beer, and to-day is expected to see the city entire’y without beer. N.S.W. MINERS NOT STRIKING. SYDNEY, September 17. Plans for an immediate strike for a six-hour day at the mechanised collieries in the North were rejected at a convention of delegates of Northern miners’ lodges. BRITISH ENGINEERING DISPUTES. RUGBY, September 15. The dispute in the engineering trades about the wages of apprentices, and recognition,of their union, which caused a strike in Glasgow in the

Spring, has not been settled satisfactorily in the subsequent, negotiations. A number of small strikes of apprentices are reported from Manchester and other districts.