ORGANISED LABOUR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 14

ORGANISED LABOUR.

A COMPREHENSIVE- MOVEMENT. What promises to be numerically one^of the strongest Labour orgunisaiioija in " the> Dominion is now in courso of-/onha{io» in Dunedin. The movement is realty an extension and widening of the scope of the. iHmedie and Suburban General labourers' Union. an«l the work' of organisation <s being" carried on by Mr J. E. MacManus. It will embrace builders' labourers, brick* layers" labourers, plumbers' labourers, -licensed dniners' labourers, Drama»& Board labourers, and many aethers. The existing general labourers' aivard expires at the end of this year, and it is desired to have all concerned brought under the provisions of the new award to be applied for. Furthermore. Mr MacManus^pojnted out to a Times reporter on Aug. 24, the conditions of the jrosent award were in many respects unsatisfactory. There' were many loopholes by which the original intention of the award had- been defeated. For instance, in regard to quarrymen, for whom a special rate was fixed, the employers had made application to tho Arbitration iJourt for an interpretation of the terra quarryme«i, and the judge decided , that it~ referred purely to men quarrying stone, anddid not include the other men engaged in a- quarry, such as spallers, whose work, carried on under a high face, was quite asdangerous as that of the quarrymen. It is. also desired that there should be a general application of the preference to unionist* clause. Then it is desired that it should be distirTr-tiy laid down that jmin-boQts shall be provided to walkers employed in drainage or other work where water ifl met with, such as on mslaimed ground: ' It isalso aimed at that, meu employed at feny depth below thf ground should receive additional pay awing to the daagerous natureoi thtPwork, In regard' to the- intentions- "of the award being defeated, Mr MacMaaus. stated further- unit it was speciied- in the rward that hcd-cd»-rievs and scaffolding hands shall receive Is, l£d per hour, . bnt the employers we*© having tshe- brxk . wheeled along platfoxtne. Th« work wa* just as atetuoas and quite as dattgero\r», bufe it was only paid for at the rate" of 8* per day. Generally labourers' wages in Dunedin are lower than they are eleewherein New Zealand. In fact, said Mr MacManus, the labourers' award here i* theworst in the Dominion. An endeavour i» also to be mads to have the different, classes of labour specified and distinct jrateaofpay fixed. There are other aims in view when thepresent scheme of organisation has bee» competed. Afc the present time, said MrMacManus, the^e is no system existingrwhereby men wanting employment can find it, or employers wanting labour can secure it. It is also desired to avoid the present waste of time and energy that isentailed, for instance, by members of theunion residing at Port Chalmers cominy up to Dunedin to v«ork at their calling, ana men residing in Dunedin going down toPort Chalmers to work. It is the subsequent intention of the union to extend its organisation throughout Otago, by -which" - means it is hoped to arrive at an understanding as to what labour is required in both town and country, and men could be* placed accordingly. The provisions of theaward would, of course, apply to bothtown and country. At the present tonethere are about' 20 unionists out' of. employment in Dunedin. ' .' , * The membership of the union before organisation numbered about 400} and daring the past two weeks 164 new - members. , have been placed on the books. -Mr MaoManus expects that by the time he ,has concluded organising the union will hare a. membership of from 900 to 1000.

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