FLAXMILL HANDS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1263, 25 June 1914, Page 3

FLAXMILL HANDS.

The Manawalu Flaxmiil Employees’ Union, which is seeking a new award, died its claims with the Clerk of Awards on Saturday. The principal demands are as under:—

A week’s work shall not exceed 44 hours, inclusive of the time necessary in making preparation for the ordinary work of the mill. Each employer shall be entitled to arrange work according to the exigencies ol his particular business, either by day or night shifts, but so that in any event work and overtime shall cease not later than i p.m. on Saturdays.

Payment is sought at the following rates, the figures in parenthesis being those payable under the previous award :—Stripperkeepers 2s per hour (ss fid per day in addition to wages him in his principal capacity, whether as feeder, engine driver or manager), beach loaders is s^2d (is id), paddockers is T l £d (headpaddockers is i|d, others is), tow shaker is q)4d (is), labour not specified is (is), feeders (is 3d), flax stacker is sorters is qj4d (i«), roustabouts is hands 12s 6d per day, gas engine driver 123 6d, washers is 4}4d per hour with boots and aprons supplied by the employer (is id finding their own bools and aprons), horse driver per week for ous horse, and an extra 5s per week for each additional horse (£2 6s for one or more horses).

Piecework paddocking, which includes all work from taking the fibre off the poles to stacking it in the scutching shed, shall be from April Ist to September 30th, inclusive, at the rate of £1 12s 6d per ton (28s 6d) ; from October Ist to March 31st at the rate of £1 los per ton (255) ; 5s per ton less than the foregoing rates where carting is uot done shall be the minimum. When tail-cutting is done an additional 4s per ton shall be paid. The minimum rate of pay for flaxcutting shall be 5s 6d per ton, piecework tramming, 2s 6d per ton ; scutching, 10s per, ton (£1 6s). Except as regards flax cutting, firewood cutting, tramming, tram-laying, paddock ing and scutching, no piecework shall be allowed. Milling may be worked on piecework, provided that piecework rates are mutually agreed upon between the Employers’ Association and the Union.

Any time worked in excess of eight hours in any one day shall be considered overtime, and shall be paid for at the rate of time and a half for the first hour, and thereafter at the rate ot double time. In no case shall any employee be compelled to work overtime. The following shall be the recognised holidays : —New Year’s Day, Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, the annual picnic day, and the days of the half-yearly and yearly meetings of the union. Work done on any of the foregoing days shall be paid for at the rale of double time.

Where board is provided for workers, the food shall be sufficient in quantity and of good quality, and the charge therefore, whether board shall be provided directly by the employer or by any person under contract with him, shall not exceed 15s a week, nor shall any additional charge be made by way of rent for use of buildings, payment for use of cooking utensils, or otherwise, A number of demands regarding matters of detail are included. A clause is desired providing that each employer shall allow his workers an interval of at least 10 minutes in the forenoon and 10 minutes in the afternoon for smoking; the employer to have the right to fix the place for smoking. It is demanded that all work shall be done by the day, hour, week, or on piecework, and on no account shall any employee accept any bonus, nor shall any employer offer any bonus to any worker.

The dispute will be heard before the Conciliation Commissioner at Palmerston North on Wednesday, July 22nd.