FLAX-WORKERS SEEK NEW AWARD.

Shannon News, 6 May 1927, Page 3

FLAX-WORKERS SEEK NEW AWARD.

WAGES LIKELY TO BE STUMBLING BLOCK

In an endeavour to reach an agreement upon hours of work, wages and general conditions of employment, preliminary to the framing of an award, a x sitting of representatives of the Manawatu Flaxmill owners and their employees was held. Wednesday in Palmerston North, the jConculiauon Commissioner, Mr. P. Halley, presiding. The employers were represented by Messrs, H. A. Seifert, J. S. Moir and C. H. Speirs, while Messrs. S. Anderson, E. Edgehill and P. T. Robinson were present on behalf of the workers. Mr. B. L. Hammond and Mr. W. Bromley acted as employers’ and employees’ agents respectively. Employees’ Proposals.

Both partis brought forward proposals which agreed in a (number of particulars, but differed materially in the matter of wages. The employees sought the following minimum rates: —(a) stripper-keeper, 2s 6Jd per hour; feeders, 2s l|d per hour; benchloader, Is .11 1 d per hour; sorters, is 1.0 Jid per hour; washers, Is 11 Jd per hour; rouseabout, ,1s 10id per hour; labour not specified, Is ioid per hour. (b) drivers: For those driving and attending one horse, £4 8s per week; two horses, £4 I,ls per week; mor e than two horses, an extra 6d per day or 2s 6d per week for each horse above two.

(c) For thos e driving and attending to motor 1 , vehicles with a combined weight of vehicle and maximum load exceeding two tons, £4 lls per week; exceeding two tons but not exceeding four tons, £4 13s 6d per week; exceeding four tons, but not exceeding five and a-half tons, £4 16s per week; exceeding 5i tons, but not exceeding ten tons, £5 per week; . not otherwise specified, used in conjunction with trailers, £4 15s per week. No deduction shall be made from this weekly wage for. bad weather or holidays, or for any caus e other than for time lost through the worker’s default, and this wage shall include attendance to horses on Sundays, week-days and holidays. (d) The minimum rate for piecework paddocking (which means and' includes all work from taking the fibre off the poles and stacking • the' same in the .scutching shed) shall be: From April 1 to September 30 inclusive, £1 18s 3d per ton; from October 1 1 to March 31, £1 12s 6d per ton. When carting is done, 8s 6d per tort shall be added to the foregoing rates.. (e) Th e minimum sate for cutting (hook) flax shall be 9s,per ton. "Cutting (hook) flax” shall mean and includo cutting, tying, carrying, and stacking at a convenient loading place for loading trucks or drays.

(f) The minimum rate for side-flea f cutting shall be 173 6d per ton,

(g) Th e minimum rate for handscutching shall be £2 3s 3d per ton. (h) The minimum rate for handscutching, without pressing, shall be 35s per ton.

(i) The minimum rate for automatic scutching shall be 20s per ton. (j) Fibre-graders shall Joe paid a minimum rate of 2s 3d per hour.

(k) Pressers shall be paid a minimum of 2s 6d per hour. Employers’ Offer.

The offer of the flaxmill owners was as follows: —Stripper keepers, 2s 6d per day extra; feeders, Is 6d per day extra; bench loaders, sorters, washers rouseabouts, paddockers tow-shakers and pressers, flbre-classers, fibrepressers, etc., Is OJd per hour; drivers (on e or more horses, motor vehicles of all weights, tractors and trailers), £3 14s per week. No deduction shall be made for bad weather or holidays or any cause other than for time lost through the worker’s default and this wage shall include attendance on horses.

Scutching.—Two pressers, 14s ton; one press, 16s per ton; without pressing, 8s 6d per ton; hand with power press, 25s 6d; without power press, 26s 6d; without pressing, 20s Gd per ton; hemp pressers, Is 6*d per hour or 5s 6d per ton. Paddocking.—Summer with cartage, 30s per ton; winter with cartage, 335. Summer without cartage, 23s per top: winter without cartage, 26s per ton; compulsory stacking, 2s 6d per 'on. When tail cutting done by paddockers an additional 2s 6d per ton shall be paid.

Cutting.—Hook medium, 7s per ton; side leaf, I.ls 6d per ton; tramming, by arrangement. Employment of youths and females. —Employers' may employ youths and females at not less than the following rates ; —ls-16 years, 30s per week; 1617* years, 355; 17-18 years, £2; 18-19 years, £2 7s 6d; 19-20 years, £3. Females under .19 years, 30s per week; over 19 years, £2 2s 6d, Overtime. The employees sought overtime after 8j hours at time and a-half for the first 3 hours and thereafter at double rates. The owners offered time and a-quartor for the first 2 hours and thereafter at the rate of time and - ahalf except weekly paid men who shall not be paid overtime unless working more than 48 hours in a week or over 10 hours in one day. Preference. The workers sought the usual pre-

ference clauses, but the employers declined to give any preference whatever. The owners also sought certain restrictions in regard to smoking in the swamps and in the vicinity of fibre. Slow Progress. Practically a complete understanding was asked in respect of the hours of work, but the parties sat all yes terday discussing certain differences in the general conditions of employmentThe matter of wages, where there is a wide variation of opinion, was postponed until Thursday, but the prospects of an agreement are remote as each side intimated again and agam that it could not see ..its way clear to budge from the proposals brought forward. The employees' demands are much in advance of the wages at present being received by the men while the mill-owners are seeking a lower-, ing of the present scale. DISPUTED POINTS. TO BE REFERRED TO ARBITRATION COURT. Although an agreement was reached on a number of points before the Conciliation Council on Wednesday in connection with the demands of the Manawatu Flaxmill Employees’ Union for a new award, the proceedings had to be adjourned until yesterday, many of the claims, including wages, remaining unsettled. A complete agreement was reached on all points except wages and overtime, and these matters consequently will have to be decided by the Arbitration Court.