Trades and the Workers

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 204, 17 November 1927, Page 13

Trades and the Workers

=—=B¥ BOXWOOD =

UNION MEETINGS MS

■urniture Trades November 21 Hairdressers i November 21 Stonemasons *» «•* *• •• •• *• *•»* •»••*«•»• *•;**.*, *. November 22 Coopers •• •* •• •• •• A•> November 24 CONCILIATION COUNCILS Moulders • : • • • * * •• •• •• November 24 Slaughterm* n (abattoir section) #. .... •-•....... .. .. .. November 20 Ferry workers • • • • • • • • • November 22 Chemical and Manure Workers November 25

arbitration court Sitting begins December 15. y r J. Purtell will leave for Wellington on November 22. The-Xerry workers meet the company conciliation next Tuesday. The lion’s claims it is understood ask for a rise of 43 or 5s all round - Mr A. Jackson, secretary of the Hotel •nd Restaurant Workers’ Union, has lad a prolonged and strenuous campaign lobbying in Wellington. Various Labour Bills and the Licensing Bill have kept him in the capital city for several weeks now.^ The Gas Company and the Gasworks’ Employees' Union, it is stated, have been meeting in preliminary conferences with a view to settling the basis of their new agreement round the table.' 4a jret no settlement has been reached. •• - • The slaughtering season has opened rather haphazardly this year. We»tli'eld began about a week ago, and most other firms have made a start also. The season has not got into its stride yet however. . The new branch of the Auckland Bakers’ and Pastrycooks’ Union has been successfully floated in Hamilton, Frankton and Cambridge. Mr. St. George, of Hamilton, has been elected secretary and treasurer, and Mr. Knowles, of Cambridge, has been elected president. TOUR OF THE NORTH 41 r. E. J. Watson, secretary of the Bakers’ Union, will probably set out on a tour of the North some time next week. He will return to town in time for the union meeting on December 3. His Southern tour was very successful, and it can be < confidently expected that much good will result from the run North also. There is a slight boom in the baking trade, reports Mr. E. J. Watson. Several jobs have been going the last few days. ENGINEERING TRADES Mr. R. F, Barter, secretary of the Amalgamated Engineering Union, reports that the sheet-metal section is improving, and there are no men out of work. In fact, it is men not jobs that are scarce in that section, which has improved with the improvement in the dairy industry and the motor industry. The position has not altered much in the general engineering section, but the motor mechanics’ section is in a fairly good position. CAMPAIGN FOR FUNDS As soon as the Auckland Labour members of Parliament return from the arena, the movement will begin a big campaign to rally the adherents together in a drive for funds for the contesting of next elections. Quite a number of projects are in view. Lunchfcour addresses will be a feature of the campaign it is understood, and socials will be promoted to get the people together. It is also suggested Milectors should be sent round. A SUCCESSFUL TRIP Mr. J. Moctensen, secretary of the Shop Assistants’ Union, has returned from an excursion in the Waikato. He had to bring a number of prosecutions as the result of his investigations. It is a good thing to show the world that the law reaches into the smaller towns and that unionism is not altogether impotent. There was an unfortunate misunderstanding in Te Awamutu with regard to the interpretation of the award and the Shops and Offices Act. That now is also happily settled. THE LONG SHANK

One of the features of the claims of the union for the Conciliation Council to bo held between the abattoir section of the Slaughtermen’s Union and the abattoir employees is the claim for the elimination of the long shank, that useless little bone that dangles to no good purpose from the fore-quarters. Its uselessness is not the sole cause of the men desiring its abolition, but to the fair-minded man it is a good reason why it should go when it is claimed by old hands that it is produced by a very dangerous cut, one of the most frequent causes of serious accidents in the industry. And when one comes to look into it the only use of the long shank is to make weight on the butcher’s scales. It is no use whatever to the butcher s customers. Under the workers’ claims all the wage rates are revised though the conditions. Clauses are not touched much. THE CHEMICAL WORKERS

Rather a peculiar situation has arisen JQ the chemical and manure industry. The Challenge Company’s employees began proceedings for a new award, the Tepapa workers first being given the chance of making a joint dispute of it, which they refused to do. The council was to sit last w r eek but has been postponed until November 25. Now the Farmers’ Fertiliser Company’s workers have filed a dispute of their own. The Challenge Company’s Union oaa now filed to add the Te Papa union, the Farmers’ Fertiliser Company and kempthorne, Prosser and Co. as parl!es to the dispute. It is rather a complicated position, and one that in toe interests of organisation should Q«ver have arisen. In this district there are three chemical workers’ unions registered; for why—one can hardly find * reason. Of these, two are working in a way that is not conducive to helpfumess. This is a case for the application of tho apt advice —less unions a na more unionism. SMALL RISES The new tramwaymen’s agreement was filed early this week with the clerk of awards. It embodies several sn »U rises in the depot, workshops ana overhead sections, but these will not come into operation until April 1 next year. There are no increases in jhe traffic or permanent-way sections, but there is a clause dealing with roken shifts for omnibus drivers, the proportion of which says the agree.“shall be kept as low as possiole.” The bulk of the new agreement is a duplicate of the former. The increases granted are: DEPOTS

LATE MR. JOHN FAWCUS oldest member of the AmalgaEngineering Union was buried

1 this week. The late Mr. John Fawcus was a member of the union for 50 years and held the position of secretary at one time. During the last 15 years he has been reaping the benefits of the superannuation scheme. He was one of the old war-horses of the union and took part in the struggle for better conditions for the engineering sections and was an advocate before the court. To him much of the credit is due for the success of the earlier fight for the eight-hour day and the rise from 8s a day to 10s a day in the trade. At his funeral the union was represented by two very old members, still active in union affairs, Mr. J. Cowley and Mr. Alex. McGregor, whose combined ages top the century and a-half. Mr. R. F. Barter was also there representing the union. AMERICAN APPRENTICES Speaking on his observations* while in the United States as chairman of the Australian Industrial Mission, Mr. H. E. Guy stated recently that although a general scheme of apprenticeship seemed to have been neglected* there, various apprenticeship plans were now being tried out. The country had been able to get labour from outside for the key positions in industry, but now, owing to the restriction of immigration, employers were realising the necessity for training boys. But there would never be tjie necessity for the same proportion of apprentices or tradesmen in the United States as In Australia, as craftsmanship was not needed there. WOMEN IN INDUSTRY* The report of the women observers Dr. Kate Mackay and Miss M. Matthews, who went with the Australian Industrial Mission to the United States, deals with the ever-increasing place which women are taking in American industry. According to the last census there were 8,500,000 women wageearners in the United States. In answer to the question whether the increased employment of women is due to the war, Dr. Mackay and Miss Matthews point out that between 1880 and 1910 there was a great increase in the percentage of women employed. The war did not increase the number of women workers so much as it increased their opportunities. Figures are quoted to show that women are gravitating to the manufacturing and chemical industries, and that in 11 manufacturing industries the number of women employed is greater than the number of men. The women observers found a good deal of variation in the legislation in the different States regulating hours of employment for women.

The working day in most States ranged from eight to ten hours, and the weekly hours ranged from 48 to 70. In the industries visited during the mission’s investigations the lowest wage paid to women employees was 12 dollars, and the average wage was about 16 dollars a week. In certain engineering and electrical factories women earned as much as 40 dollars a week.

p. Increase. J;J r examiners (day), id .. .. examiners (night), id .. p m «r, after 3 years, id .. .. during 1st 3 years, Id gleaners (day), *d t-leaners (night), Id .. .. W ages. 2s Od 2s Id 2s Od 2s Od Is lOd Is lid % WORKSHOPS « , Increase. L 41, adjusters id Machine moulders *. «• id Machine drillers .. .. id £f c welders id .. Id ■Labourers id Wages. 2s 2d 2s 2d 2s 2d 2s 2fl 2s Id is lid OVERHEAD WORKERS • Increase. Linesmen lid Assistant linesmen .. Id .JJagon drivers Id •role erectors and cable layers, etc Id casual labourers .. .. id Wages. 2s Id 2s Od 2s Od 2s Od Is Ud