OBJECTIONS MADE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 217, 13 August 1937, Page 6

OBJECTIONS MADE.

INCLUSION IN AWARD. CITATION OF PARTIES. » Application to add the woolpack and textile factory at Foxton and the Palmerston North Hospital Board as parties to the Plumbers’ and Gasfitters’ Award was made by Mr H. Thompson, of Wellington, secretary of the union, in the Arbitration Court at Palmerston I North yesterday afternoon, before His Honour Mr Justice O’Regan, Mr A. L. Monteith (employees’ assessor) and Mr W. Cecil Prime (employers’ assessor). Exemption was sought by both the parties cited. Mr S. I. McKenzie stating on behalf of the woolpack factory that over a period of 18 weeks one of their employees had been engaged parttime as a plumber for .an average of only 3J hours weekly, for which they were willing to pay plumbers’ rates, but they did not wish to become a party to the award. Similarly objecting, Mr A. J. Phillipps, managing-secretary of the Palmerston North Hospital Board, stated that it employed two plumbers, whose hours, for emergency purposes, were necessarily spread over the whole week. The board objected to paying them overtime for work on Saturdays, but was prepared to do so for Sundays. Mr Thompson submitted that the Palmerston North Hospital was in ne different position from the 'Wellington and Wanganui Hospital Boards. Mr Phillipps stated that it was not surprising to find the Wellington board acquiescing in the award, beca.use of the Labour sympathies of most of its members. Furthermore, it had a larger staff, over whom it could spread the work. The Wanganui Hospital did only half the surgical work of the Palmerston North Hospital, whose case was not on parallel lines with those quoted. He added that the Palmerston North board’s plumbers were paid full rates if they were off sick for a day or two, they received two weeks’ annual holiday on full pay. and were entitled to out-patient treatment free. He did not think the men themselves wished to be brought under the arbitrary conditions of the award.

Decision was reserved in both instances.