ARBITRATION COURT

Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1932, Page 8

ARBITRATION COURT

SITTING AT GREYMOUTH. 'GREYMOU PH, December 7. The sitting of the Arbitration Court . was continued yesterday, Justice ( Frazer preriding.

INDUSTRIAL AGREEMENTS. Agreements made before the Con- j filiation Commissionjr, between the i Westland butchers, drapers and plumb- < erg and their employees, were to-day ! converted into awards by the Arbitra- j tion Court. In the cases of the butch-$ ers, and drapers- the usual clause re- ; Hating-to under-rate workers was in-! seated, but'in the ease of the plumb-1 ers, the agreement ns comple;eri' A - clause regularising the hour for the 1 •closing cf shops to comply with 1925 amendment, was inserted in the butchers’ award. Mr F. L. Turley represented 1 the employees’ union in each case. ■ IT.Jflki

GROCERS’ DISPUTE. In the case of the Westland grocers, an appliodticn to have the agreemient •reached bafore t..e .Conciliation' Com-mL-sioner converted -into an award, objections were lodged by Mr Sutherland, ii>prosenthig the Selp-Hclp'Co-op. Mr Tuney i©pre.jentad -the Union, aaio -Mr P. Beck, the .other employers. •••■ Mr Beck, on behalf cl the general body cf employers,- said that the agiee•riierin.'‘rsaened at the sitting' of the‘ Conciliation" Council; wag-; peifeefilv. satisfactory to the' •employers, ayd thej were rflady to aside by it." •• h. [ Mr 'Sutherland; ■ for -the Self-Help * ail »'lengthy address, took ex-j; cepuon to the ciauise classifying tin • branch manager l of a chain store 1 as 'fin arris.luitdn-thaa’ge. He contended that a branch manager should he deemed the occupier’ of the' shop anc* Simula carry all the privileges. He pretested 1 against the clause in tne '■■agreement' giving an ; extra"6d for tea money, when notice is not given; 'ag -msi the clause, stating that an asiristaut should be .deemed a casual hand if employed for loss than one week and should be entitled i" tc, casual r~tes. It also appeared unreasonable .that provision should he made to pay the manager at the rate of 6s an hour Tor work on Sundays,; as,. lie contended the clause wars. inserted to j 'cover = work 'of -stocktaking, which must of necessity be. done on Sundays. : '•'. ’.

Mr Turley considered that the Self-; •Help ibhould, be in the award- They •were the only people .on the AYeri Coast wheri said they should not lie made a party to the award. He contended that their 'only reasoimwas -to • enable them to" employ cheap labour. The employees preferred that over time should he cut out altogether. This firm should not be allowed , to come in with its own scheme and cheap''’labour ideas. ?. . ,

C'Mr Bede .contended that 6s an hour; was - fib-'fair- tiling jf men were to' he: asked tp work'on Sundays. ' However, i even in a chain store such as the SelfHeld, it' should' not be necessary to ff-orlc on Sundays. He had worked, in some of the greatest chain stores in the world, and' had not been asked to work on Sundays. When the - 1 agreemeut was reached the employees ;were! quite satisfied to pay 6s extra as they lia/d little, or no work for their employees on Sundays. •Mr Sutherland explained that the oregent scale of wages nnd benefits received by employees was greatly in excess cf that stipulated in the agreement and refuted the contention that hia attitude was for the purpose of engaging cheap labour. His ; Honour isdid that the Court would take time ,to consider the •""

ment, and would make the award in due course.

MINE ACCIDENT CLAIM

In the case of John Henry Harwell v. Bria.ndala Collieries, Ltd., (Mr O. S. Thomas), Mr Brasnan, for Air P. J. O'Regan, called evidence on thequestion of alien suppliant and his parents found out that >he-was suffering Twin osteo-myelitis. The statement-of cJaim set out that i siHppliaiii, when employed by the defendant company as an assistant engine driver- in the Briandsie Colliery, suffered a hone injury to the right shiOTildfcr as ting, result of a piece, of wall falling on to the shoulder, in consequence of which accident he had sine© been totally disabled from work- > ing; that lie was paid six weekly payments of compensation, totalling £lB 15s; that his average weekly earnings' were not less than £4 Ids 9d; that after lie had been disabled some six weeks, .condition was erioiioou.-.ly diagnosed ms being due to rheumatic flavor ; that the incapacity from which he is still suffering had since been found to he due to the injury by ac- . oident; that the plaintiff t ‘ was • prP--' yiously unaware that he , was > itilf buffering from the effects di> ■riAmt; and accordingly his failure iff coinmeaice .proceedings within the prescribed time, was due reasonable ~m r iv Plaintiff therefore" claimed a weekly payment of £4 from the date of ike’ neci-teiit; further compeii. ation by way of a hmip sum- as may he -shown > to '• be reasonable ; and costs.

The defence : Was A complete denial! of the statemnts of plaintiff.

A quantity of evidence was taken, it being intended to take the remainder of the ea.se at Westport, so Mr P. JO’Regan could he present. It was V, tilted that it did not appear likely-Mr Q’Regau could be in 'Westport lief ore i; he beginning of next' week, and Mr Thomas made a strong protest against the inconvenience caused by such a .ki,y.

Mis Honour then, stated that it was apparently' * •lieefessary •• to 1 ‘hoar -Mr O Ifoigm, and lip therefore .adjourned the he.i ring l "further,' '.to Christchurch, on Wednesday, December 21st.