LABOUR UNIONS

Southland Times, Issue 18860, 28 June 1920, Page 6

LABOUR UNIONS

SOFT GOODS. The members of the Soft Goods Union met on Friday evening when the Arbitration Court award embodying the following wages clauses were received ; (ai Assistants sixteen years of age and under entering the trade without previous experience shall bo paid not less than the rate of wages set out in the following scale, viz.;— Males. Females. Per week. Per week. £ s. d. £ s. d. First year of service ..1 0 0 0 15 0 Second year of service 17 0 10 0 Third year of service .. 1 15 0 15 0 Fourth year of service 2 7 0 1 10 0 Fifth year of service ..3 0 0 1 15 0 And thereafter 3 15 0 2 0 0 (b) In addition to the rates above prescribed there shall be paid to male workers up to and including those in their fifth year of service a bonus of 5s per week, and to those workers in receipt of the minimum rate of £3 15s, above prescribed a bonus of 10s per week, and to all female workers a bonus of os per week. These bonuses shall be payable unless and until the Court shall otherwise order. (c) An assistant entering the trade without previous experience from the age of seventeen to eighteen years shall be treated as having entered upon his or her second year of service, and shall be paid in accordance with the said scale. (dl An assistant entering the trade without previous experience from the age of eighteen to nineteen years shall be treated as having entered upon his or her third year of service, and shall be paid in accordance with the said scale. (e) An assistant entering the trade without previous experience from the age of nineteen years and over shall be treated as having entered upon his or her fourth year of service, and shall be paid in accordance with the said scale. 4. (a) Storemen and packers over the age of twem,y-one years substantially employed at work usually performed by storemen and packers, such as receiving delivery of, collecting, packing, and despatching goods, shall be paid not less than the following wages, viz.; — Per week. £ s. d. Storeman or packer in charge of two or more men other than casuals 4 0 0 Other storemen or packers .. 3 10 0 Junior storemen or packers— Under 17 years of age .... 120 From 17 to 18 years of age .. 17 6 From 18 to 19 years of age .. 1 13 0 From 19 to 20 years of age .. 1 18 6 From 20 to 21 years of age .. 2 4 0 And thereafter the minimum wage. (b) In addition to the, rates above prescribed for storemen and packers there shall , be paid to such workers, unless and until the Court shall otherwise order, the follow*

ing bonuses, viz.: To storemen and packers a bonus of 10a per week, and to junior storemen and puckers a bonus of 5s per week. SOUTHLAND SAWMILLERS. The half yearly meeting of the Southland SawmiHEniployees Union was held on Saturday evening, Mr .James Faulkner presiding over a pood attendance. The secretary, Mr T. O’Byrne, reported that the half-year just over was one of the most successful in the history of the union, ami the amount collected in dues was £271 12s (id. During the period he had visited the We-tern and Gatlins districts, and found the mills working full time and unable to keep with the orders received. There was still a keen demand for workers. He hud appeared at the Arbitration Court in Dunedin and had been successful in obtaining an extra cost of living bonus of Sd a day from January 1 to April 30, and Is 8d per day from May I. The bonus for youths was hxed at 3s per week. The employers had in many’ cases not yet received notification from the Labour Department as the Government Printing Office had~been unable to get the notices olit. Several wages disputes had been dealt with and settled without difficulty. Th conference of workers had been fixed for July 1, the meeting place being Wellington. A letter was received from Gatlins River which stated that all members who were in arrears with their subscriptions should be proceeded against in the courts for the recovery of the same.—lt was decided to proceed against all defaulters. A member from the Western District wrote complaining of the housing conditions at one of the mills there, stating that the houses were in a deplorable condition. Ho also stated that there was no ambulance kit provided for the workers —The secretary was instructed to write to the employer and have the matters mentioned attended to. DRIVERS. The Drivers’ Union met on Thursday evening, when the revised wages were received. Wages from May 1, 1920, will be as follows;

Stable work and attendance to motor vehicles is done at the option of the employer. It this work is not performed, or if it is done ? within the 48 hours which constitute an ordinary week’s work, it need not ho paid for. In such cases the amounts set down for horse or motor attendance in the above table should be deducted. CASUAL DRIVERS. The rates for casual drivers arc now as follows: Horse Drivers. Per hour, s. d. Single horse 1 gt Two or more horses 1 lot Motor Vehicles Per hour. s. d. Up to 2 tons carrying capacity . . 1 101 Over 2 tons carrying capacity . . 2 01 Overtime Per hour. s. d. Horse drivers 2 1 Motor vehicles up to 2 ions capacity 22 Over 2 tons carrying capacity . . 2 4 For work dons bet wean the hours of 10 p.m. and (i a.m. the rate is 2s 7d per hour for all classes of drivers.

Single Horse. £ d. Award rate 3 6 0 4 hours’ horse attendance at Is old 0 5 10 Bonus as from Jan. 1, 1920 .. 0 4 0 Bonus as from May 1, 1920 .. 0 6 0 Total 4 1 10 Two or More Horses. £ s. d. Award rate 3 8 G 8 hours’ horse attendance at Is old 0 11 8 Bonus as from Jan. 1, 1920 .. 0 4 0 Bonus as from May X, 1920 , . 0 6 0 Total 4 10 2 MOTOR VEHICLES. Up to One Ton Carrying Capacity. Award rate 3 9 0 4 hours’ motor attendance at Is 64d 0 6 2 Bonus as from Jan. 1, 1920 .. 0 4 0 Bonus as from May 1, 1920 .. 0 0 0 Total 4 5 o From One Ton to Two Tons Capacity £ s. d. Award rate 3 n G 4 hours’ motor attendance at Is Old 0 6 ’2 Bonus as from Jan. 1, 1920 . . 0 ■4 0 Bonus as from May 1, 1920 . . 0 6 0 Total 4 7 s For Two or Three Tons Cap acity. £ s. d. Award rate 3 14 0 4 hours’ motor attendance at Is Old 0 6 2 Bonus as from Jan. 1, 1920 .. 0 4 0 Bonus as from May 1, 1920 .. 0 6 0 Total 4 1C 2 Over Three Tons Capacity. £ ft. d. Award rate 3 17 6 4 hours’ motor attendance at Is Old 0 G 2 Bonus as from Jan. 1, 1920 .. 0 4 0 Bonus as from May 1, 1920 .. 0 G 0 Total 4 13 8